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Canucks see ‘foundation piece’ Sutter better fit than Bonino, Clendening out in swap with Penguinshttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/07/28/canucks-see-sutter-as-better-fit-than-bonino-clendening-edged-out-in-swap-with-penguins/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/07/28/canucks-see-sutter-as-better-fit-than-bonino-clendening-edged-out-in-swap-with-penguins/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 16:35:27 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=196439Adam Clendening was shocked. Nick Bonino had two more seasons remaining at a very palatable $1.9 million US salary cap hit and Brandon Sutter was deemed not enough return in those Ryan Kesler rumours at the 2014 trade deadline.

Nick …

]]>Adam Clendening was shocked. Nick Bonino had two more seasons remaining at a very palatable $1.9 million US salary cap hit and Brandon Sutter was deemed not enough return in those Ryan Kesler rumours at the 2014 trade deadline.

Nick Bonino was falling down the depth chart when the Vancouver Canucks traded the centre to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday in a multi-player swap. (Getty Images via National Hockey League)

Add it all up and Tuesday’s swap with the Pittsburgh Penguins — Clendening, Bonino and a second-round pick in 2016 for Sutter and a third-round pick — says more about management thinking Frank Corrado is a better third-pairing fit for the Vancouver Canucks than Clendening. The riddles in the middle meant Bonino was slipping down the depth chart with the ascension of Bo Horvat and Sutter might give the Canucks more options at centre. With a year left on Sutter’s expiring contract that’s a $3.3 million cap hit next season, it’s obvious that general manager Jim Benning is banking on the 26-year-old Sutter finding his game here because he plans to talk contract in the next few days before the centre becomes an unrestricted free agent. It also buys the Canucks more time to develop centres Cole Cassels and Jared McCann.

“Brandon is a good two-way player and match-up guy and brings us speed through the middle,” said Benning, who has been working on the deal since the draft. “It solidifies our centre ice. To me, he’s a foundation piece for this group going forward. In the playoffs, he was good when the games meant something and that’s when he’s at his best. And he gives us the edge we need to compete in playoffs.

“Teams in our division improved and this makes us deeper and gives us a better chance to compete.”

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

The Canucks are also getting a 6-foot-3, 190-pound centre who coach Willie Desjardins is familiar with. He played for the Red Deer Rebels when Desjardins guided Medicine Hat in the WHL. And he could slot into the second-line centre position and take pressure off Horvat to move up in that role.

“Bo played really well and we don’t want to put pressure on him to be somewhere in lineup he can’t handle,” added Benning. “Brandon is a proven NHL player and played against top players and can still bring offence. And he has high-end intangibles. The west has got real fast. He’ll help with overall team speed.”

Sutter had 33 points (21-12) in 80 games with the Penguins last season and has 98 goals and 185 points in 495 career NHL games with the Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes. He was originally drafted by the Hurricanes 11th overall in the 2007 draft and got wind of a possible trade a few days ago. Which is nothing new. He was rumoured to be coming here in a possible Kesler swap and will likely be matched up against him next season.

“I kind of heard some things (2014 trade deadline) and wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” said Suttter. “I was new to Pittsburgh and was pretty shocked at that point. Maybe, it’s a situation that needed to work its way out.”

And it looks like it will. A contract extension is a formality and so is the likelihood that he slots in as the second-line centre.

“It’s a good feeling,” he added. “Hopefully, we can get something figured out and if you asked me four years ago if I would have been traded twice, I wouldn’t have thought so. I didn’t want the process of playing a whole year and wondering and having to worry about the trade deadline.

“I thought this was almost a perfect fit. Right now, with (Henrik) Sedin and Horvat, who is young and going to be a heck of a player, you’re not concerned what your role is. I’ll just do what’s asked of me. I hope to play an increased role and it sounds like there’s an opportunity to be a second-line centre.”

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Clendening, 22, had signed a one-year, two-way contract extension earlier this month He was acquired on Jan. 29 in a trade with Chicago that sent diminutive defender Gustav Forsling, a fifth-round 2014 draft pick, to the Blackhawks. Clendening had two assists in 17 games with the Canucks and excelled in the AHL playoffs with the Utica Comets. He had three goals and eight points in 23 games and was a plus-7. At 6-foot, 190 pounds, the Niagara Falls, N.Y., native isn’t the most physical player and was expected to compete for a third-pairing position. The Canucks pumped his tires when he signed.

“When he’s playing his game, he has a good stick and covers the lanes and uses body positioning for cutting down angles,” Benning said of the 36th pick in the 2011 draft. “The best part of his game is his hockey sense and ability to move the puck up ice fast. And he has a good shot from the point and has his head up and can walk the line and spot people in front of the net. He had a real good playoff down there (Utica) and looked like he’s ready to play.”

On Tuesday, Benning said this:

“We have some depth there with Frankie and Clendening is an asset that Pittsburgh asked about and to make the deal, we put him in it.”

Bonino, 26, had seven goals in his first 14 games last season but couldn’t maintain the momentum and buckled under the pressure to be a productive second-line centre. He finished with 15 goals and 39 points in 75 games.

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]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/07/28/canucks-see-sutter-as-better-fit-than-bonino-clendening-edged-out-in-swap-with-penguins/feed/1Bonino.jpgbenkuzma1Nick Bonino was falling down the depth chart when the Vancouver Canucks traded the centre to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday in a multi-player swap. (Getty Images via National Hockey League).PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 19: Chris Tanev #8 of the Vancouver Canucks trips Brandon Sutter #16 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the game at Consol Energy Center on October 19, 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 181108421NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 19: Adam Clendening #44 of the Vancouver Canucks takes a shot in the third period against the New York Rangers on February 19, 2015 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.Clendening got the assist on a goal scored on the rebound of this shot.The Vancouver Canucks defeated the New York Rangers 5-4 in an overtime shootout. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)Who really holds contract leverage hammer as Canucks calculate Baertschi’s true value?http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/07/20/who-really-holds-contract-leverage-hammer-as-canucks-calculate-baertschis-true-value/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/07/20/who-really-holds-contract-leverage-hammer-as-canucks-calculate-baertschis-true-value/#commentsTue, 21 Jul 2015 00:06:54 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=195836If you could be in the boardroom — or at least on the other end of the phone line — concluding who has contract leverage in the Sven Baertschi negotiations could be compelling.

The Vancouver Canucks could point to one-year, …

]]>If you could be in the boardroom — or at least on the other end of the phone line — concluding who has contract leverage in the Sven Baertschi negotiations could be compelling.

The Vancouver Canucks could point to one-year, show-us deals around the league after numerous entry-level contracts expired, as opposed to organizations making long-term commitments. They could point to 23-year-old winger Emerson Etem — a player of similar first-round pick history, age, position and checkered performance as the 22-year-old Baertschi — and conclude they shouldn’t have to buck up or give too much term to a restricted free agent winger who has yet to make an NHL impact with 10 goals in 69 career regular-season games.

The Canucks could do what the New York Rangers did after acquiring Etem and a second-round pick at the 2015 draft from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Carl Hagelin, 26. The Rangers signed Etem, 23, to a one-year, $850,000 US contract last week despite his 15 goals in 112 career NHL games — and just five in 45 games with the Ducks last season — and will gamble on untapped potential. The Rangers gave up an older winger who could help the Ducks get over the semifinal playoff hump, but as a restricted free agent, Hagelin also needs a new deal after scoring 17 goals last season and earning $2.4 million.

There’s also winger Beau Bennett, 23, who only got a one-year, one-way contract from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 2010 first-round pick has just 10 goals in 96 career NHL games and had just four in 49 games with the Pens last season.

The Canucks could play the heavy with Baertschi. His lack of NHL finish and defensive reliability stand out more than the seven goals in 15 games he had with the Utica Comets last season and the eight he had in 21 AHL playoff games. Then again, if the Canucks are serious about getting younger, faster and better, they have to take a leap of faith with Baertschi. But how big a leap? They did surrender a second-round pick to the Flames at the trade deadline and it’s hard to imagine they would go short on term after showing that much trade faith and projecting Baertschi as their second-line left winger.

Baertschi is coming off an expiring two-way ELC that paid $832,500 at the NHL level and had a cap hit of $894,166, so a bridge deal might make sense to both parties. After all, Baertschi’s agent could contend that if his client is being held in such high regard, he should be compensated more than the Canucks might be willing to commit because they’re $2.8 million under the cap ceiling with 22 players signed.

Logic suggests there should be an attainable middle ground for money and term that can be reached between the Canucks and agent Andre Refener. Give the winger enough incentive to be a big part of the future, but don’t give him the long-term security he needs to first earn. The Canucks have nine projected roster players whose contracts will expire after next season and they could clear the decks to promote from within or be bigger players in free agency. And the Canucks would have to do both to be playoff contenders and Baertschi appears part of the plan.

I would give Baertschi two years. It’s enough time to prove himself and enough peace of mind for the Canucks should he not pan out, especially if they think he would agree to a two-way deal. Probably not. As for the price tag, I can’t see Baertschi getting much of a raise unless he wants to play hardball. And that’s probably not in his best interest because the Canucks have given him a career re-set, unless his camp thinks it has the leverage. Baertschi turned down his qualifying offer and although there’s no imminent need to crank up the signing heat, you’d think the Canucks would want to get their financial house in order now in case they see other moves this summer to be cap compliant by October.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson have decided to bet on the playoffs. Nenshi took to Twitter to find the perfect wager for this series:

Losing city’s mayor must wear winning city’s jersey to City Council
Losing city’s mayor makes a donation to the winning city’s food bank of $5 for every winning team goal scored in the series
Losing city’s mayor recites a short poem about the winning city, written by the winning city’s mayor

Man completes tightrope walk at Stanley Park’s Siwash Rock

Earlier this week, passersby on the Stanley Park seawall spotted a tightrope walk stunt at the park’s iconic Siwash Rock, located between Third Beach and Prospect Point. During sunset, the dare devil walked from the top of Siwash Rock to the westerly cliffs of Stanley Park. The stunt was coordinated by SlackLifeBC, a group of young local slackline enthusiasts.

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne spotted in Vancouver

Where in the world are Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne? In Vancouver, of course.
Earlier today, Sharon tweeted a photo of herself with her husband Ozzy on the Coal Harbour seawall by Harbour Green Park, just west of the Vancouver Convention Centre. It is unclear why the legendary rock star and former judge of the original British X-Factor reality show are in Vancouver – neither of them had scheduled public appearances or performances. But they clearly took advantage of today’s balmy spring sunshine with a stroll on the seawall.

Let’s face it, Canucks fans, we are long past the days of our team having a playoff berth locked up at the All-Star break. While we were no strangers

…

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(The following article was written by both j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt)

Let’s face it, Canucks fans, we are long past the days of our team having a playoff berth locked up at the All-Star break. While we were no strangers to scoreboard watching in those days, it was primarily to see how much closer we were to the President’s Trophy (and to snicker at the Edmonton Oilers). Now, Canucks fans are intently keeping an eye on the standings in the hopes that actually getting playoff games this season is a reality (instead of the far-fetched fantasy it was in 2014).But nervously seeing how the other teams in the playoff race are doing isn’t all bad.

1. The NHL gets it’s own “March Madness”
If you’re looking for high stakes sports drama, forget the NCAA basketball tournament, the Canucks playoff race is just as intense (and almost features as many teams!). It also feels a lot like the NCAA tourney because of how high the stakes are. If the Canucks or their challengers lose a game at this stage, it almost completely deflates their playoff hopes. If the unthinkable happens and the Canucks don’t get in, at least we still got a month of incredibly important games.

2. You get a new favourite team every night
For a lot of Canucks fans, it’s blue and green or nothing. The only team we find ourselves cheering for Vancouver exclusively, but due to the nature of the playoff race, we find ourselves rabidly cheering for whomever is trying to play spoiler. The Stars are playing the Jets? We love the Stars (and their gorgeous jerseys). The Sabres are playing the Kings? We hope for an epic upset. The Leafs are playing the Flames? We… hope in some way both teams manage to lose.

(We want our green back, you jerks)

3. We‘re not Edmonton, and some predicted we would be.
This high intensity final push of the season can at least help Canucks fans appreciate how successful the team has been this year. They’ve been inconsistent, sure, but the fact that the team is playing meaningful games at all in March is great for the fans. Instead of languishing in the basement and planning for the draft, the Canucks are competing. Not only does that remind us of our past successes, it also makes us feel extremely fortunate that our “rebuild” or “retool” or whatever you want to call it hasn’t lasted 8 seasons.

(Pictured L-R; Hope, hilarity, futility and desperation)

4. Hockey spreadsheets look conveniently look like real work

Let’s be honest, we all sneak in some down time when we’re at work. Sometimes you just have to check Pinterest to get some ideas for how to use old hockey sticks to make a coffee table. The good thing about scoreboard watching is you can do scoreboard math in a spreadsheet, and nobody will be the wiser. You can spend hours looking at various scenarios based on different game outcomes, and if anybody walks by, they’ll just think you’re working on that TPS report that’s due on Monday. Those fools.

(TPS = “The Playoff Scenarios”)

5. It generates interest in players you never knew about

It’s hard to keep track of all the players coming and going in the NHL, but scoreboard watching has a funny way of making you very aware of every single NHL roster player. All of a sudden that minor injury to a Dallas Stars player becomes huge news, because they are playing the Flames the next night. Before you know it, you’ll be screaming at the Oilers decision to start Scrivens because his save percentage against the Jets is .001 lower than Richard Bachman’s. DON’T THEY KNOW WHAT’S ON THE LINE FOR US??

(Cody Goloubef: Temporary Impact Player)

6. Refreshing your phone has never been more exciting

Stuck at a boring family dinner but you know the Flames and Jets are playing? You’ll never have more fun finding excuses to look down at your phone and refresh the scoreboard. You’ll find yourself offering to look things up on Google to anybody around you. “Oh, who played the second Becky on Roseanne? Let me look that up for you!” you’ll say, as you quickly use that moment to refresh the scores. You’re like the James Bond of scoreboard watching, you sly dog you.

(Vancouver actress Sarah Chalke played the second Becky. Everyone in Vancouver should already know that)

You can follow j.Bow and Wyatt Arndt on twitter (@jbowmancouver and @thestanchion, respectively). Sarah Chalke was boss on “Scrubs”. Fact.

I saw them play in the winter of 1993-94, their first in the NHL as an expansion team. They were the Mighty Ducks then, they were …

]]>Man, the Anaheim Ducks sure have come a long way. A long, long way.

I saw them play in the winter of 1993-94, their first in the NHL as an expansion team. They were the Mighty Ducks then, they were not very good, and they came into Toronto to play the Maple Leafs, who’d just come off a Campbell Conference final and were about to go to another (though the league did change the conference name to the more exciting “Western” that year). The Leafs were en fuego, as hard as that is to believe right now. They didn’t seem content to have the two-time World Series champion Blue Jays outshine them, so they didn’t. The buzz was huge in T.O. They had Doug Gilmour. Dave Andreychuk. Hot young Nikolai Boroschevsky. Felix “le Chat” Potvin.

The Ducks had Stu Grimson. Yes, Stu Grimson. The Grim Reaper.

They also had Robin Bawa, who’d played two games for the Canucks. And a bunch of other guys you’ve never heard of.

But that night at Maple Leaf Gardens, the expansion Ducks were embarrassing the powerful Leafs. Really embarrassing them. Embarrassing them so much that I was embarrassed for Leafs legend Frank Mahovlich, who’d been honoured in a pre-game ceremony and then probably thought to himself, “It’s been 27 years since I was part of the last Leafs team to win a Stanley Cup; at this rate they’ll never win another!” (Imagine thinking that back in 1994.)

Anyway, I was frustrated. I was a student, and had paid decent money to sit in the upper deck with a buddy. It was the third period, and despite a good number of shots, none of the Leafs seemed that interested in disturbing the legendary Ducks netminder Guy Hebert. In the middle of the third, there was a break in the action. You could, honest to God, hear a pin drop in the arena. It was killing me, and I’d lost my mind. So I stood up and yelled,

“LACE ‘EM UP, MAHOVLICH! YOU’RE GOING IN!”

People laughed. I got a reaction from the upper deck and sat down, confident that the entire arena, including possibly Frank Mahovlich, had heard my plea.

Which needs to start tonight, against the Anaheim Ducks (Sportsnet Pacific, TSN 1040, 7 p.m.), the first of five straight games at the Rog for the Canucks, who are just 11-8-1 at home. But they will need certain people to step up. Like, how about Chris Higgins, who somehow keeps his job on the second line despite providing zero offence? He has six goals and 12 assists, just one goal in his past 21 games. He plays well defensively, our Ben Kuzma points out, but really needs to start doing more at the other end of the ice.

Surfing the Pacific

Good news for Johnny Gaudreau. The Calgary Flames rookie, who’s quickly turned into an NHL star, apparently pocketed more than $200,000 in bonuses for appearing in the festivities in Columbus over the weekend. His Flames are back in action tonight, hosting the Buffalo Sabres, who’ve lost 11 in a row. Call it a must-win for Calgary, who are just two points back of the Canucks.

Canadian Content

Phil Kessel was awfully fast during Saturday’s fastest-skater competition, which seems to fly in the face of those who love to poke fun at his fitness. Anyway, Kessel and others were fitted with all the latest technology, including computer chips in their jerseys that helped keep track of things such as speed. Kessel told reporters, “You guys might like that, but I’m not so sure I want that in my game. Too many numbers, right?” Maybe, maybe not. But as the Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran reports, the NHL is taking a closer look at technology that might help them keep up with, or even lead, the stats revolution.

Good timing, meanwhile, for Winnipeg Jets owners True North to do some long-promised renovations to the MTS Centre. There will be a few hundred new seats, which is probably a fine idea in the league’s smallest building. (My Lord, that’s Axl Rose, above, playing the MTS Centre back in 2010.) But for customer satisfaction, it seems the more popular idea is the four new video screens that, in every way, shape, and form, will be better than the existing screens (which, surely, must be better than the screens at the Pacific Coliseum; though, in the Coliseum’s defence, there’s no NHL tenant). The Jets, who’ve won five straight and are flying, are in Pittsburgh tonight to resume action but won’t need to face Sidney Crosby, who missed the all-star game and, as a result, must miss the first game back after the break. Did you know the NHL has a rule about that? They do. That just might make a player stop and think before bailing out on the all-star festivities just because he’d rather be on a beach somewhere.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

The New York Post’s Steve Serby calls Darth Belichick — yep, that’s what he calls Bill Belichick — “the greatest villain in Super Bowl history.” With great lines such as, “We’ll never get a glimpse into Darth Belichick’s soul, he’ll never allow it,” and, “He’ll flash defiance, and annoyance, but mostly joylessness and dismissiveness.” Great stuff.

Belichick, of course, has been part of NFL messes before. Deflategate must be nothing to him. Then there’s another guy who’s been neck-deep in NFL messes for the past several months: commissioner Roger Goodell. If you have a few minutes to put your feet up at some point, read GQ’s story, tantalizingly titled, “The Season From Hell: Inside Roger Goodell’s Ruthless Football Machine.” Gabriel Sherman’s piece is comprehensive and fascinating, not just an attack on Goodell, and starts with a must-read: How Goodell and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft put together a PR defence when the Ray Rice video became public. Masterful. And it involves CBS, an NFL broadcast partner. It doesn’t look good on CBS — and it never looked good on the NFL.

Come on, look at the evidence: the NHL all-star game and the NFL’s Pro Bowl.

Seriously, what sort of sick joke is this? There are just four …

]]>I have to be frank with you: this weekend is sports’ lost weekend.

Come on, look at the evidence: the NHL all-star game and the NFL’s Pro Bowl.

Seriously, what sort of sick joke is this? There are just four major sports in North America, five if you include MLS, six if you include the PBA. (OK, if you have to Google PBA, maybe it’s not top-six, but it can’t be far behind the NHL and MLS.) And two of them decide that they should hold an all-star game on the same day?

I know what you’re thinking: McDonald is mad because he loves all-star games and would rather just have one on a given day, so he can prep himself beforehand, then relish in the afterglow for several hours once the game is over. That’s a reasonable assumption, but ultimately wrong.

It’s like this:

The NHL all-star game: I’ve heard all the arguments about how boring it is, and how lame it is (sometimes two very different things), and how no one wants to be there or watch it on TV or take it seriously. All fair comments. But for me it’s this: Christmas was just a month ago. The NHL had a nice break then. Does it really need another nice break one month later? Seriously, these guys make millions of dollars a year. They already get a couple of months off — or, if you’re the Edmonton Oilers, four-plus months off. I think they can play through January. There are 30-some games to go. The season now has momentum, and increasingly each game actually seems to mean something. Is now really a good time to go to the beach?

The Pro Bowl: When the NFL regular season started, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots enjoyed bye weeks while the wild-card teams battled it out. That bye week, you should know, doesn’t always benefit the team that gets fat sitting around, which is one of the reasons why it’s most unusual to see the top two teams in the NFL battling it out for the Super Bowl.

But first, they must sit around again and get fat. Why would you want to carry the momentum of a stunning conference championship weekend right into Super Bowl — you know, like the CFL does with the Grey Cup? (Hooray, CFL beats the NFL!) No, let’s give the people an exhibition game, like the NHL does. And in the few days leading up to that exhibition game, a whole boatload of guys will call in sick, and a boatload of replacement all-stars, most of whom weren’t quite good enough to be all-stars, get shipped in last minute when they were fairly secure in thinking they could go to the beach. And are now rather peeved to be in suburban Phoenix (or, maybe, just maybe, Columbus).

There’s perhaps only one day worse than Sunday. And that will be Monday, when there’s no NHL, no NFL, but at least we get another all-star game. The AHL all-star game. In Utica, no less! Home of the Canucks’ farm team!

Bitch session over.

The Home Team

Of course! The Canucks’ representative in Columbus! (Oddsmakers Friday morning are suggesting that Vrbata and Zemgus Girgensons of the Buffalo Sabres are the two most likely players to be picked last in the all-star draft. Pffft.)

Nice J. Lindeberg shirt, by the way, Radim. Stylish and piercing.

As for Alex Burrows, he’s never been an NHL all-star, but he is a three-time Canadian Ball Hockey Association all-star. (Impressive!) He was also the NHL’s first star of the week back in January 2010, after he scored consecutive hat tricks. (Impressive!) He followed that up by scoring two goals the night he was named first star, then scored single goals in each of the following four games. The most incredible streak of his career. And on Province Sports Radio, I shared a few thoughts about Burrows, as did Patrick Johnston. My verdict: He’s one of three guys on the team, along with the Sedins, who I hope will retire as Canucks.

Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames headed into the all-star break in eighth place in the Western Conference, holding down the final playoff spot, a point up on the defending champion Los Angeles Kings and three up on the Colorado Avalanche. Their players have gone in various directions for a few days — anyone who complains that NHLers have to travel too much should note that they’re quite happy to jump on a plane if there’s no hockey to be played. Three guys headed back to AHL Adirondack, including goalie Joni Ortio, who you might recall beat the Canucks recently. He’s been a great story for the Flames, but they have a problem: two other NHL goalies on the roster in Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo.

Canadian Content

I just love this headline in the National Post: “Leaf jersey-throwers bought their sweaters with full knowledge they were supporting a hopeless cause.” Kelly McParland writes: “Your average funster might suggest a one-year ban is a reward, considering the level of Leaf play, or that it oughtta be the players who are kicked out. But it’s the fans who are making apes of themselves. The Leafs haven’t been any good for a decade; they haven’t even made the finals, much less won a Stanley Cup, in the lifetime of most ticket-holders. … Chucking the jersey onto the ice just confirms that they weren’t very smart (when they bought a jersey), and certainly are no smarter now.”

You have to like the Winnipeg Jets’ chances of making the playoffs, if you believe the math wizards at sportsclubstats.com. They have the Jets, who didn’t made the playoffs in their first three seasons after the move from Atlanta, at about 92.4 per cent to do it this year. (Interestingly enough, the Canucks weigh in with exactly the same chance to make the postseason. Buffalo, Edmonton, Arizona and Carolina all come in at a pessimistic zero per cent.) But the Winnipeg Free Press’s Tim Campbell won’t take the site’s word as gold. Among the things he points out: “The program doesn’t know coaching, chemistry or even history beyond what’s taken place this season. For instance, it will not consider that the Jets/Thrashers have been a perennial fading team in March and April in each season since making the playoffs in 2007.” Other than that, a pretty upbeat piece!

The Ottawa Senators’ Bobby Ryan is blunt about his fear of being picked last in Friday’s all-star draft (SNP, 5 p.m.): “I don’t want a Kia.” So NHL. They let players pick players for their team, like you do in the schoolyard, but, unlike the schoolyard, they console the last millionaire chosen by giving him a new car. Ryan should be a man about it, and the NHL should drop its lame, player-coddling promotion. You’ve been picked last? Whatever. Show them all that you’re more valuable than that.

Speaking of Canadian content, our own Ed Willes writes about the World Cup of Hockey, which will be backed by the NHL, contested in a couple of years, and pretty much signal the end of Olympic involvement. (Bettman, get over yourself!) Willes is not a fan of the proposal. In fact, he mocks a proposed European team, comprised of, yes, Europeans whose countries are not selected to take part in the tournament. And he mocks a players-under-23 team that would be comprised of young guys from North America who don’t make Team Canada or Team USA. He writes: “(Fans) also have the chance to cheer for Canadian players on the under-23 Young Guns team because, lord knows, Bo Horvat grew up dreaming of wearing a Young Guns’ sweater.” I believe that’s mocking.

Around the NHL

Compared to the Oilers, the Buffalo Sabres are … sigh. Not good at all. How not good at all? The Buffalo News’s John Vogl makes his readers sick by unleashing a torrent of numbers, few of which show any optimism for the franchise. There’s “12,” which is not the sunny Seattle Seahawks’ fan shout-out but the number of losses the Sabres have suffered in a row. Then there’s “19,” which is the number of games the Sabres have lost by three or more goals. (By comparison, it’s happened to the Canucks eight times — and think how hard it was to watch any of those games.) And for the stats freaks, here’s a doozy: “minus-1,224.” That’s the Sabres’ NHL-worst Corsi number, which means their opponents have attempted 1,224 more shots than the Sabres have. My lord.

Last June, Team Canada stalwart Rick Nash was practically booed out of Madison Square Garden — his home rink — as the New York Rangers couldn’t get it done in the Stanley Cup final against the Kings. Seven months later, Nash is tied with the Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin atop the NHL with 28 goals and, says the New York Daily News, is a serious contender for the Hart Trophy as league MVP. How has he done it?

‘Look at That, I’m a Manly Man’

Province Man About Town Joe Ruttle drew my attention to Elders Play Grand Theft Auto V. And this is nothing short of genius.

I do talk to, uh, elders quite regularly, since there’s a regular cabal that phones Province Sports. When they tell me they don’t have a computer, and then you watch this video, you understand them … and that they’re not lying.

Seems All-Stars are All the Rage

Or perhaps not the rage. Forbes has, quite smartly, named the NBA’s most overpaid all-stars. Who leads the list? How about the guy who, on Thursday, was voted to his 16th straight all-star game: the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant. What makes him overpaid? Well, it could be his $23.5-million salary, plus, as Chris Smith writes, an “on-court performance that has actually hurt his team’s chances.”

The Patriots’ Julian Edelman seems to have responded to Deflate-gate by posting this baby to YouTube. It gets you so warm and fuzzy, seeing childhood photos of Bill Belichick, that you almost forget who you’re getting warm and fuzzy about:

I wait every year for another instalment of “NFL Bad Lip Reading,” and here’s the latest one:

And while this isn’t related to the NFL, it might be related to this section’s headline:

Screwed Over by Oscar

At No. 33, we discover the only performance that has anything to do with sports. Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy, the minor-league groupie with a heart of gold, in Bull Durham. No nomination. Great scene here (warning: a couple of non-PG moments):

Good Morning, and Have a Great Weekend

Patrick Johnston delivers the next Skate on Monday morning. He’ll be back from his pond hockey tournament at Apex Mountain, deep in the Interior mountains. Frostbite?

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/01/23/the-morning-skate-jan-23-nhl-all-star-game-blows-pro-bowl-sucks-old-folks-rock-grand-theft-auto/feed/0New York Islanders v Columbus Blue Jacketsjonnymac682015 NHL All-Star Game - NHL Fan FairdemarcuswareprobowlvrbatamugalexburrowsEdmonton Oilers v Washington CapitalsjoniortioflamesleafssignColumbus Blue Jackets v Winnipeg JetsOttawa Senators v Buffalo Sabresmarkstreitflyers461888750New York Islanders v New York RangerskobebryantlebronmarshawnlynchcaptainamericaUnknownCanucks/Predators Post Game Quotes (I Wish Were Real)http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/01/14/canuckspredators-post-game-quotes-i-wish-were-real-6/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/01/14/canuckspredators-post-game-quotes-i-wish-were-real-6/#commentsWed, 14 Jan 2015 22:20:45 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=176126The main issue I have with post game coverage is the general lack of personality conveyed by the majority of the league. The NHL has some of the classiest athletes and coaches in all of professional sports, but sometimes you …]]>The main issue I have with post game coverage is the general lack of personality conveyed by the majority of the league. The NHL has some of the classiest athletes and coaches in all of professional sports, but sometimes you just want to hear someone go off.

No canned responses about “working hard”, “winning the battles” and “tough challenges” (like staring at all that yellow). I would love it if there was a bit more colour in those interviews and players said what they were really thinking.

Stuff like this:

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Head Coach Peter Laviolette – “I think I’m going to celebrate this win with a stiff drink of Jack Daniels and an ice cold Sam Adams. Read between the line, NHL award givers”.

Pekka Rinne – “Yeah, I had to leave the game with an injury. Can you call having a full Netflix queue an acceptable injury? If not, that it was my hamstring”.

Carter Hutton – “Sure, I came into the game cold, but absolute zero isn’t even as cold as the Canucks scoring these days. I knew I’d be just fine”.

Mike Fisher – “I’m glad I scored a goal tonight. It’s the only way I can ensure my wife gets camera time. Who am I kidding? She gets shown every time I win a face-off”.

Mike Ribeiro – “I haven’t showered in months”.

Filip Forsberg – “I’m having a great rookie season, which puts me on pace to equal the career of the previous Forsberg stud that came before me. If I could maybe limit my injuries to 200 or so, I think I can eclipse Peter”.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Head Coach Willie Desjardins – “It’s my fault tonight. I got distracted trying to figure out what the hell the fans were chanting in unison that I completely forgot the game plan. It sounded like they were all reading a poem together or something. If only we prepared as much as their fans did, we’d have seen a different result tonight.”

Eddie Lack – “Would you believe me if I said that soft goal actually phased through me? I think that Forsberg kid is one of the X-men and can make solid objects go through organic matter. That is far more likely than that puck getting by me”.

Ryan Miller – “How do I feel? Have you seen the film Contagion?”

Henrik Sedin – “I’d be lying if I said we weren’t playing hurt tonight. Me and Danny had severely sprained feelings after not being selected to play in the All-Star Game”.

Daniel Sedin – “We didn’t want to play in the All-Star Game anyway. The WWE Royal Rumble is that day, so we’re pretty busy watching Dolph Ziggler win”.

Radim Vrbata – “I’m glad to be an All-Star, but Henrik and Daniel looking at me like I owe them something for the rest of the season might not be worth it”.

Shawn Matthias – “It was a regular win for Nashville, but a huge win for Ribeiro that he was able to leave the arena in one piece tonight. That greasy little sh** will get his next time”.

Alex Edler – “If only one of us can score per game, I’m glad it was my turn tonight. Might not be my turn again until April”.

Kevin Bieksa – “These guys are the best team in the league pretty much, so the fact that we only would have lost by one goal if the third period was cancelled for some reason is a silver lining for sure”.

Luca Sbisa – “Clearly that massive hit I laid in our previous game with Nashville was bulletin board material for them. Or they are just really good. Probably the second thing”.

You can follow j.Bow on Twitter (@jBowmancouver). Nashville does more for the colour yellow than mustard and cowardice combined.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/01/14/canuckspredators-post-game-quotes-i-wish-were-real-6/feed/0WillieQuotejbowman85Nashville_PredatorsCanucks logoEx-Canucks Hat Trick: Hugging it out at Luongo love-in, O’Brien finds lucky charm, Mitchell the mayor of Tofinohttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/01/08/ex-canucks-hat-trick-hugging-it-out-at-luongo-love-in-obrien-finds-lucky-charm-mitchell-the-mayor-of-tofino/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/01/08/ex-canucks-hat-trick-hugging-it-out-at-luongo-love-in-obrien-finds-lucky-charm-mitchell-the-mayor-of-tofino/#commentsThu, 08 Jan 2015 15:00:00 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=175555Three points to ponder as the Canucks prepare to honour Roberto Luongo tonight in a video tribute and then do everything possible to ruin his night with a victory over the Panthers at Rogers Arena:

1. WELCOME TO ROBERTO, UH, …

]]>Three points to ponder as the Canucks prepare to honour Roberto Luongo tonight in a video tribute and then do everything possible to ruin his night with a victory over the Panthers at Rogers Arena:

1. WELCOME TO ROBERTO, UH, ROGERS ARENA: Roberto Luongo looked like one of those greeters at Walmart the past two days. Standing in the hallway two hours before a Wednesday practice, the winningest goalie in Vancouver Canucks history was shaking hands with well-wishers and even hugging it out with the local media. Honestly. In advance of facing the Canucks tonight we can say this much about Luongo. He has never looked more comfortable in his skin and seems to be at peace with life as a well-paid professional at the rink and away from it. But he may get a little misty when the video rolls at some point in the first period.

“I think it’s going to be emotional,” said Luongo. “I’m flattered that they would do that. I told TC (Carling, vice-president of administration) it wasn’t necessary, but I’m happy there’s some sort of recognition. All round, it was great playing in this city and winning games and making those (playoff) runs and winning the Presidents’ Trophy. There’s not one specific thing, but in general I miss Vancouver.”

Luongo sounds like he has matured. He admitted to past mistakes with handling his playing situation here and dealing with the media, and Florida Panthers captain Willie Mitchell — his former Canucks teammate — expects only the good will be recalled by the faithful. It won’t be about the circus around how he left after the Heritage Classic snub; it will be about how he backstopped the Canucks to Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final and how he has gathered his game and his life.

“I think it’s going to be a special time,” Mitchell said of the video tribute. “He’s going to be pretty well received, that’s for sure. He went through some tough times and a difficult situation at times for him here, and a sendoff is kind of the last chapter here in his career.”

When asked what he misses most about Luongo, defenceman Kevin Bieksa was funny then factual.

“Taking all the money away from him in cards and seeing how mad he’d get after a bad beat,” chuckled the Canucks defenceman. “I think the game will be tougher for him with all the emotional baggage attached to it. He kind of solidified the No. 1 spot and gave us great goaltending for a long time and the city should be grateful.”

Still, getting pucks past Luongo will be the challenge. You’d think all those practice shots against the former Canucks stopper would give Alex Burrows and company the upper hand tonight. Then again, Luongo ranks eighth in save percentage (.924) and ninth in goals-against average (2.28).

“He knows a lot of my shots,” said Burrows. “If you get rebounds you’ve go to get them up. Side to side he flops a bit, but he gets his pad to the post. So if you can get it (puck) up, you might score on a side-to-side play. Once he’s square to you as a shooter, there’s not much to shoot at — you’ve got to get lucky.”

“It’s no secret I like to have a good time now and then, and the city is fun when you’re playing for the Canucks and on a winning team,” said the Panthers defenceman. “I didn’t think I did anything too crazy. Everything is big in Vancouver with what a guy does on the ice or with his off time. I’d like to think I was a good teammate and they (fans) think more about me that way, because things got blown out of proportion.”

That said, O’Brien got the big wake-up call last season. Traded from Colorado to Calgary, he was put on waivers and went unclaimed. He played in the AHL for the Abbotsford Heat and was then placed on unconditional waivers at the end of the season for a complicated buyout. But Panthers general manager Dale Tallon saw something in O’Brien and offered a professional camp tryout. O’Brien impressed, earned a one-year, two-way deal and was recalled Dec. 11 from the minors to join the big club.

“You like to give guys a second chance,” said Tallon. “I wasn’t exactly an angel myself. He’s been a model citizen.”

At 31, time is not on O’Brien’s side. He knew that in the offseason, dedicated himself and looked for a situation where he could fit in and help a younger core develop. Not that he didn’t have doubts about not getting an offer.

“Did I think that? Yeah,” admitted O’Brien. “Maybe teams were afraid to touch me for whatever reason, but I know what I bring to an NHL team. I knew I was going to a camp somewhere on a PTO. The biggest mistake I’ve made in my career is worrying about the stuff I couldn’t control.

“When it gets taken away from you, it’s tough when you feel you can still play. I still feel like I’m getting into my prime. I played well in the minors, and it’s not easy because of the travel and all the young kids are flying. It’s been good to be back and it’s been easy to step back in it.”

3. MEET THE MAYOR OF TOFINO: Not sure what the post-hockey landscape looks like for Willie Mitchell, but it will probably include a microphone, a PowerPoint presentation and an attentive audience. Whether as a motivational speaker or perhaps the future mayor of Tofino — the 37-year-old Panthers captain is building a home there and has a vested interest in everything affecting the area — he is never at a loss for words.

“I’m sure he’ll do something with talking a lot and people will listen to him,” said Bieksa. “I always thought he would get into storytelling and lecturing — he’ll rent out a hall and lecture a couple of times a week on different subjects.

“He was great for me. He taught me about the game and the defensive zone. He’s big on body position and he’s big on the stick more than anything — just having it in the right place — and we had a lot of success. His belief was you steer guys where you want them to go and you have your stick in a certain lane. Sometimes, he’d say you give them the candy because you put your stick there and at the last second you extend it.

“He’s a great character guy. He comes to the rink and he’s laughing and joking, but when it’s time to go to battle, he’s a guy you want in your corner.”

To the point of using Kris Letang’s helmet to clobber the Pittsburgh defenceman in a Dec. 20 scrap?

“Honestly, the first thing I thought about when I saw it was that’s something I could do,” said Bieksa. “It was in the heat of the moment and he was so mad and luckily nothing (disciplinary) came out of it. I don’t think his intent was to hurt Letang — he wanted to get him but the ref was in the way.”

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/01/08/ex-canucks-hat-trick-hugging-it-out-at-luongo-love-in-obrien-finds-lucky-charm-mitchell-the-mayor-of-tofino/feed/0Luongocoverbenkuzma1Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo speaks to the media in Vancouver, BC Tuesday, January 6, 2015. (Photo by Jason Payne/ PNG) Calgary Flames' Shane O'Brien tries out a TV camera during a training camp fitness test in Calgary, Alta., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh ORG XMIT: JMC105>The Green Men get busy mixing a cocktail for Shane O'Brien. Ric Ernst — PNGDENVER — Former Canucks defenceman Shane O'Brien takes to the ice Nov. 18 against Dallas. He has been logging more than 20 minutes a game for the Colorado Avalanche. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHL via Getty Images).Vancouver, BC: JANUARY 07, 2015 -- Florida panthers practice at Rogers Arena Wednesday, January 7, 2015. Pictured is Willie Mitchell (left) and Shane O'Brien. (Photo by Jason Payne/ PNG) (For story by reporters) [PNG Merlin Archive]Hockey in Bangkokhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/12/31/hockey-in-bangkok/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/12/31/hockey-in-bangkok/#commentsWed, 31 Dec 2014 20:34:26 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=174992So I am cycling around the World and happen to be riding across Thailand last month on my way to Singapore. I get an email from a Canadian that is following my journey, which is not unusual. The unusual part …]]>So I am cycling around the World and happen to be riding across Thailand last month on my way to Singapore. I get an email from a Canadian that is following my journey, which is not unusual. The unusual part is he asks if he can arrange a charity hockey game when I arrive in Bangkok for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Of course I could not decline. I didn’t even know they had rinks in Thailand it’s so hot. Well it turns out the rink is on the seventh floor of one of many mega malls in Bangkok that make Metrotown look like a Safeway. The beer gardens outside these malls that stretch for several blocks and have three separate bands make the Munich Beer Hall look like a neighborhood pub. The giant beer keg-type dispenser also is right at each table.Everything is BIG here.

So the game was fantastic. Mostly Canadians but Brits, Swedes, Germans one goalie was the Ambassador from the Czech Republic. There were even a few Ex NHL players that lived in Bangkok now The Canadian Ambassador to Thailand even showed up. The Thai people in the mall all came in to watch this strange sport on ice and collect the Zamboni snow. I was given an official Flying Farang team jersey complete with my name which was spelled properly.

Here was was on the other side of the world watching a hockey game in a mall. I was never so proud to be a Canadian. In Bangkok, watching our sport of hockey and these fine men and women raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Of course Canada won. So did the Canadian Cancer Society.

I am a firefighter on a global circumnavigation by bicycle for cancer research. I have covered 1/2 of the Earth and hope to cross Australia in 2015 Look forward to any Australians contacting me for support or advice.

For me, this is a tough one. Montreal I get. They’ve won more Stanley Cups than the Canucks will win in the next millennium. (Give or take.) That’s one hell of a Rushmore. In Vancouver, though, it’s slightly more underwhelming. Ultimately, being in the NHL is about winning a Stanley Cup. It doesn’t happen so much around here.

I’ll say this: If the Canucks should somehow win the Stanley Cup six months from now, Willie Desjardins bumps one of those other clowns off the mountain.

Our own Ben Kuzma is in Montreal, of course. On this seven-game road trip, he replaced Jason Botchford after the fourth game — Botch flying home from Pittsburgh, Kuzma starting in Toronto. And he too has weighed in on Beliveau. Alex Burrows, the always-articulate Canucks veteran who never seems to have lost his youthful enthusiasm for hockey and appreciation for hard work, is a not-so-surprising go-to guy to talk about the influence Beliveau had on his family’s, and his, life. (Beliveau had a big influence on Pacioretty, Desharnais and P.A. Parenteau, above, who greeted Beliveau’s widow Elise Monday at the Bell Centre. And the Canucks, led by a couple of well-dressed Swedes, also stopped by to pay their respects.)

You can see, of course, how well-intentioned Kuz was this morning at the rink:

It should be an interesting evening, all the way around. Will the Canucks return home post-game carrying their first three-game losing streak? Or will they continue to heap misery on the Habs?

Surfing the Pacific

You’re probably aware that the Edmonton Oilers are on a rare one-game winning streak. Which leads David Staples of the Edmonton Journal to write about “six things to like” about the Oilers. Among them: “There’s not one statistic suggesting Nail Yakupov is getting any better as an NHLer. His individual scoring chances plus-minus, a measure of his two-way play, shows a player stuck in ‘mediocre.’ That said, Yakupov is finishing his checks more than ever and appears to be carrying the puck with more confidence again. He lacks the breakaway speed to every be a top scorer, but he’s showing signs of becoming a solid two-way winger.” In Edmonton, it appears being “mediocre” is something to like. This is how far they’ve come.

Coyotes 13 back of a Pacific playoff spot, Oilers one-game win streak going into San Jose Tuesday night. Then Oilers play in Anaheim Wednesday.

I got a call, incidentally, from a reader the other day. He’s 78. They always tell me their age. Anyway, he was complaining about The Province’s hockey coverage — this on a day where we had about 10 pages of hockey in the big paper. Once I was able to convince him that we tend to go fairly big — and that I was worried he was going to be one of those people who yell at me for putting too much hockey in the paper — he told me about how he knows Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter. Seems the reader lived in the same vicinity as the various Sutter family homesteads in Alberta, and had done work for Down’s Syndrome-related charities. And then pointed me to this recent, excellent mini-documentary done by Sportsnet, about Darryl and Wanda Sutter’s 21-year-old son Chris:

Man, next time you look at Darryl Sutter and think “curmudgeon,” think instead about how he refers to Chris as “magic.” By the by, the reader who recommended the Sutter story has never used a computer. His wife has one but he’s, frankly, scared of it. I told him that I found the Sutter video there. That if he’s too scared to try the computer, he’ll never see that video again. Later this week, he’s going to call me back. Not to yell at me about our hockey coverage, but so I can walk him through the basics of using the Internet.

Meanwhile, there are rumblings out there about the uniforms that will be worn at Levi’s Stadium — the home of the increasingly sadsack San Francisco 49ers — when the Kings and San Jose Sharks meet there Feb. 21. This is certainly a unique take:

Canadian Content

So the Flames, just two points back of the Canucks, are in Toronto tonight. And a centre of attention in Toronto right now is goalie Jonathan Bernier, the club’s No. 1 goalie who is better at stopping pucks than he is at current events or history. (Not everyone’s strength, right?) Bernier made the big mistake of attending the Toronto Raptors-Cleveland Cavaliers game the other night, when the Raptors honoured Nelson Mandela. It was a mistake, because Bernier should have known he might face a microphone. And when asked about Mandela, he said: “Well obviously he’s been, uh, a tremendous, uh, athlete and you know obviously what, uh, he means to all sports …” Bernier went on to say that Mandela was one of those athletes he grew up watching. Stop! Stop! But he didn’t stop. So the Toronto Star’s Rosie DiManno was mortified by Bernier, and mortified by the Raptors, who later mocked Bernier. Yeesh.

He did look rather confident answering the questions.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators are coming off their comeback win over the Canucks in the happiest of fashions, by working under a new coach after dumping Paul MacLean. Today, the Globe’s Roy MacGregor writes about the firing, and mentions how the Senators players “were making little secret of their growing dislike of their coach.” Even during the Canucks game MacLean was seen behind the bench, engaged in an apparently not-so-friendly discussion with team captain Erik Karlsson.

And it should be mentioned that in the New Yorker article on P.K. Subban that Paul Chapman wrote about in Monday’s Morning Skate, there’s a nice shout-out, completely out of the blue, to Canucks anthem singer Mark Donnelly. Ben McGrath writes of Montreal’s Bell Centre: “Coldplay blasts over the P.A., and the rotating cast of new anthem singers is not as good as the operatic tenor in Vancouver.”

In Other Sports

Cricket fans are still talking about Phil Hughes’ death. It’s caused lots of debate about safety in the sport. Why, there’s even a BBC story today about former Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermeulen, who’s been struck in the head three times in his career, twice fracturing his skull. Among the consequences? Writes Stephan Shemilt: “Depression, temporary insanity, an arson attack on the national cricket academy, a spell in jail, attempted suicide and a brush with Robert Mugabe’s henchmen.” And you thought football was dangerous.

My colleague Charlie Anderson loves cricket, and told me about oldtimer Brian Close (batting above), who was forced to face Michael Holding, a bowler better known as “Whispering Death.” How’s that for a nickname? Well, watch what Holding throws here — and Close’s reactions. The YouTube description? “Terrifying to watch.” Indeed:

Ever heard of Fotu T. Leiato II? Well, a few years from now he might be a household name. Leiato, who mostly plays outside linebacker but can pretty much do it all, has a mane like Troy Polamalu and sensational skills like Lawrence Taylor. He’s also not far from B.C. — in Steilacoom, a couple of hours south of Seattle. Well, Washington State has offered him a scholarship, as have several other Div. 1 schools. Here’s why. You might want to brace yourself:

Let’s Go to the Video

Red Bull motorcyclist Julien Dupont decided to go on a roller coaster in Mexico City. Big deal, right? Except he did the coaster on his bike.

Let’s Go to the Video (Again)

Former Vancouverite Buzz Bishop did some nice work on this video of the WHL Calgary Hitmen’s Teddy Bear Toss the other night. I attended the one on Saturday at the Pacific Coliseum, when it took the Vancouver Giants until the third period to score the goal that caused the waterfall of stuffies. (In the second period, a Giants defenceman missed an empty net on a point shot. And it was really empty, the Saskatoon Blades goalie taken out of the play a good dozen feet from the net.) It was great fun; kudos to the Giants for putting on a great event, and kudos to The Province’s Empty Stocking Fund for selling cute little bunnies that were easy to launch at the ice. There were about 8,800 people in the Coliseum — a smaller crowd than in the old days. But huge energy. And even huger energy in Calgary, where more than 17,000 people filled the Saddledome:

And Finally, Gratuitous Dikembe Mutombo Photos

Just another Monday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. You know, Dikembe Mutombo hanging with the future king and queen of England.

Looking to get some Horvat merch? Maybe slow your roll a little bit. We’ve all been here before…

You can follow j.Bowman, Chris Baxter and Wyatt Arndt on twitter (@jBowmancouver, @cbax, @TheStanchion). You gotta hand it to Dale for knowing the Canucks would use the Stick in Rink logo in the future.

I’m still alive because I take part in one of those loser pools. That’s where you pick one team to lose in Week 1. If you get it right, you …

]]>Week 10 of the NFL schedule and I’m still alive.

I’m still alive because I take part in one of those loser pools. That’s where you pick one team to lose in Week 1. If you get it right, you move to Week 2. As long as you keep getting it right, you keep moving on. The tough part? You can only pick a loser once. So while it would be tempting to, say, pick the Jacksonville Jaguars to lose every week, you can’t. You can only pick them once. Which makes the decisions tough, from the get-go. And only tougher as the schedule goes along.

This year, many of the 73 people in our pool are gone simply because they figured whoever was playing the Seattle Seahawks would lose. Right. It hasn’t quite panned out that way, on three occasions. So here we are in Week 10, and I’m one of three people left in the pool. But here’s the thing: the pool’s administered by a Province Sports reader who might well call himself a “pensioner.” So are many of the people who take part. And when you’re a pensioner, there’s not a ton of money coming in. So now that we’re down to the nitty-gritty, there are some nervous nellies. If you’re one of the final three or four, you’d like to take something home. And so, the rules have been loosey-goosey. Rather than the winner taking the entire $1,460, the fourth-place guy has already walked away with $200. That leaves $1,260, and it appears not everyone is on the same page with regard to how that money will be split.

My vote? Winner takes all. But that will never fly, now that $200 has already been doled out. We’ll see what happens.

And we’ll see if Eli Manning and the New York Giants help my cause by losing to the Seahawks Sunday at Centurylink Field.

The Home Team

Ben Kuzma points out, in his post-game blog at the White Towel, that the Canucks are 10-4 to start the season after their 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks Thursday night.

“That’s right, 10-4,” Kuzma writes a second time, as if the longtime hockey writer, who’s pretty much seen it all, cannot believe what he’s seeing.

It should be noted that the Canucks were 9-4-1 in their first 14 last season under John Tortorella. But this feels different, right? Even our man Botch, in his nightly Provies, salutes Canucks GM Jim Benning — Sir Bennington to Botch — for the apparently astute offseason moves he made, from trading for Nick Bonino to picking up Ryan Miller in free agency.

So where does 10-4 stand in recent Canucks history? Let’s see. You know how they did under Torts last year — so well so early, anyway. In the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, they started 8-3-3. They were 6-7-1 in 2011-12, when they won their second straight Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season team. And 8-4-2 in 2010-11, when they won their first Presidents’ Trophy and went to the Stanley Cup final. Point being, this is the best record through 14 games in the past five years, which have largely been very good years.

Of course you didn’t predict this start. And did you predict that, arguably, Miller’s off to the best start in club history for a new goalie?

Incidentally, huge thanks to Thomas Drance of Canucks Army for joining Patrick Johnston and me Thursday on Province Sports Radio. Super guy, bright, and good with numbers. But it’s one thing to be able to spit out advanced stats. It’s another to be able to speak, with insight, about what’s going on on the ice. Tom does that; hopefully we’ll have him on again. Check out our conversation here.

Fishing the Pacific

Strangely enough, it looks like Sunday’s Canucks game in Anaheim, against the Ducks, is practically shaping up as a first-place showdown. Read that again. It almost doesn’t make sense.

First, tonight. The Ducks host the Arizona Coyotes, who would surely be the Pacific’s doormat if it wasn’t for the Edmonton Oilers being on yet another four-game losing streak. The Coyotes appear to be a mess, and the Ducks appear to be getting Frederik Andersen back between the pipes. “Nobody wants to see our goalie combination be Jason LaBarbera and Igor Bobkov,” writes Cory Rosas of the Anaheim Calling blog. Andersen was 7-1 with a nearly league-leading 1.60 GAA when he hit the injured list a week ago with “leg tightness.”

And yes, it was another loss for the doormats Thursday, when the Boston Bruins scored four goals in the final nine minutes on Ben Scrivens to beat the Oilers in Beantown. Today, TSN’s Bob MacKenzie suggests the Oilers would make a big trade before they fire head coach Dallas Eakins. But the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples seems to take the opposite view. Frankly, Staples would like to see the Oilers be patient before making a big roster move, and if they have to pick one or the other, they should fire Eakins. Staples’ more long-term solution: housecleaning. “The problems with the Oilers start at the top, with the owner and upper management, and all the hiring decisions they’ve made.” And perhaps cut ties with the Oilers’ storied, but growing-ever-distant-in-the-rearview-mirror, past.

Canadian Content

But people in Ottawa have to be happy at the moment, with the Sens at 7-3-1-1 after a 3-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild Thursday night. It was a four-point night for the Kid Line — the first career two-goal game from Mike Hoffman (above, fifth-round pick in 2009, 38 NHL games played), with single assists from Mark Stone (sixth-round pick in 2010, 34 NHL games played) and rookie Curtis Lazar (17th overall pick in 2013, 10 NHL games played). That has to ease the sting of losing Jason Spezza, whose Dallas Stars are just three points up on the Oilers in the West.

Speaking of the Leafs, the Toronto Star’s excellent Dave Feschuk doesn’t mince words when he writes about Carter Ashton, the Leafs’ forward suspended 20 games after he says he took a puff of a training mate’s inhaler. And when I say he doesn’t mince words, he refers to “head-slapping stupidity” and, even more pointedly, “a marginal grunt.”

Elsewhere on Ice

My main man Patrick “P.J.” Johnston — totally original nickname! — keeps track of the wacky and the wild in sports jerseys. His latest is the Star Wars-themed jersey that the OHL’s Sarnia Sting will wear next week. Truth is, I don’t love it. Something about the bee being more prominent than C3PO.

A Bobby McFerrin Moment

How happy are you? The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, which originally was published in 2002, is back again and attempts to measure your “subjective wellbeing.” I took the 29-question quiz, hoping to discover how happy I am. There were statements such as “I don’t feel particularly pleased with the way I am” and “I rarely wake up feeling rested” and the very direct “Life is good” and, it turns out, a Georgetown University prof has interpreted my answers as me being “very happy.” Thankfully, I’m not “too happy.” That would be awful. Anyway, click on the link above to take the quiz.

Speaking of happy, it must have seemed like a good idea at the time, back in 2002, when a fellow in an Edmonton Oilers jersey decided to interrupt a WWE Raw event, presumably at Northlands Coliseum (I’ll never call it something else, you can’t make me), by jumping into the ring and messing with Eddie Guerrero (getting thrown by Brock Lesnar, above). Apparently this is a terrible idea. Whatculture.com looks at 10 different times fans interfered with pro wrestling. In every case, like the Guerrero case, it just seems unwise:

Also speaking of happy? Oprah Winfrey and her favourite things. They make people so very happy. But do they all make much sense? New York Magazine investigates six “freaky items” on Oprah’s 2014 list, including “a briefcase of flowers and vines” and the truly unique “character hats.”

In Other Sports

Kids, have you ever heard of Maureen O’Hara? If you like movies, you should know O’Hara, who was in Miracle on 34th Street and John Ford’s The Quiet Man (and is above, at right, in 1961’s The Parent Trap). Anyway, O’Hara was never nominated for an Oscar. Until now. Sort of. She’s about to receive an honorary Oscar at the age of 94. And her favourite soccer club, since childhood, are Shamrock Rovers, which her dad co-owned at one time. The Dublin-based team plays in the Republic of Ireland’s Premier Division.

Last week, you might recall that Novak Djokovic blasted our own Milos Raonic in the final of the ATP event in Paris. On Sunday, you have to think he goes into the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals as the guy to beat. An interesting twist to this enormously popular end-of-year event is that its contract in London, where it plays to constant sellouts at the O2 Arena, ends next year. At one time, Madison Square Garden hosted it. London can’t possibly lose it, when you consider the stunning support for a full week. Raonic, it should be noted, is in a round-robin group with Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori. Raonic is 1-6 lifetime against Federer and 1-4 against Nishikori. But he’s beaten Murray the last couple of times they played.

Today’s Video, Part One

I got curious. What, pray tell, is the most-viewed Jian Ghomeshi Q TV performance of all-time on YouTube? How about K’Naan, the Somali-Canadian hip-hopper who did the 2010 World Cup theme, Wavin’ Flag. Nearly 15 million views. And while the original is a pretty good song, the acoustic version is outstanding:

Et Part Deux

My colleague Paul Chapman, who grew up in the gritty streets of Deep Cove, shared a little LL Cool J with you on Thursday. Classic track. This one, to welcome you to Friday and send you off into the weekend, I hadn’t even heard of until about three years ago. I think senior editor J.J. Adams had it as his ringtone or something. He was incredulous that I didn’t know this beauty by Kanye West. I do now, and it’s a favourite:

]]>“What’s more impressive,” the Denver Post asks in a poll on its site today. “Five hundred touchdown passes by Peyton Manning or 500 wins by Patrick Roy?”

Hmmmm, tough one. Team sports, so you need a lot of help from the people around you to accomplish great things. Perhaps the most important positions on the team — quarterback and goalie — and the ones that are targeted the most by the opposition. Possibly the one position in each sport where the athlete is most likely to blow up, between the ears, or suffer injuries that make career longevity quite challenging.

Like I said, tough one. And what makes it really tough is that no one wants to see how Patrick Roy will react if he loses the poll. (Not gonna happen; early returns on about 500 votes show Roy leading Manning by nearly 2-to-1.) After all, history has shown what happens when Roy isn’t happy:

Now, we’re not saying that calling out Jarome Iginla for a defensive lapse ranks up there with telling Ronald Corey that you’ll never play again for the Montreal Canadiens. But where there’s smoke, there’s fire. A guy who won 500 games probably isn’t that happy about winning just three of his 13 games of the season — or having division foes Minnesota Wild three points up despite playing three fewer games. Jason Brough of NBC says this might be a good time for your Vancouver Canucks to visit. After all, the Avalanche exploded for seven goals the last time the teams met, on Oct. 24. It was an ugly night for the Canucks. And if the Avs don’t right the ship quickly — perhaps starting tonight — you might see another sort of explosion.

The Home Team

Right. So the Canucks, who are 8-4 on the season — and who would have predicted that? — hit the road and play their first of four games in six nights. As we speak, the Avalanche are awaiting word on the fate of their captain, Gabriel Landeskog, who decided that it would be a smart idea to go high on a check on the Anaheim Ducks’ Corey Perry a couple of nights ago.

Note that said check, which looks like it happened somewhere around the neck area, happened with about 20 seconds to go and the Avalanche down by a goal. It’s hard to imagine that Roy was too happy with his captain, though he didn’t call him out by name post-game. Just Iginla.

Landeskog’s a great talent, and the Avs will miss him if the NHL sits him down. And he seems like a good guy, a really good guy. He’s just taken on the role of ambassador for a Swedish anti-bullying organization called Friends. Watch this video. It certainly doesn’t appear that he was reading from a script:

But how about the Canucks? Since that loss in Denver, they’ve gone 4-1, and given up just 10 goals in those five games. One of the reasons: the stunning turnaround of defenceman Alex Edler, who had the worst plus-minus in the NHL last season (I know, that stat doesn’t tell the whole story, but still). The headline on today’s column from Ed Willes on the new Edler: Edler minus Torts equals plus. And wouldn’t you know it. The guy on the Canucks’ staff who’s helped Edler as much as anyone? New club president Trevor Linden. You see? Just one more reason why Jason Botchford refers to No. 16 as “the Lord.” He certainly works in mysterious ways.

So Edler will be a storyline when the Canucks start their road trip in Denver, with he and partner Chris Tanev needing to be the top shutdown guys and facing all sorts of firepower, facing everyone from Perry and Ryan Getzlaf in Anaheim Sunday to Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter the night before in Los Angeles, Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau a couple of nights before that and Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene tonight. The Province’s Jim Jamieson has a detailed rundown of the road trip he says “could define the season for the Canucks.” It makes sense. Half the Canucks’ wins so far have come against their weaker division foes in the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. The best win of their other four came last Thursday at home against the Montreal Canadiens. Can they step it up against the nastiest teams the Pacific Division have to offer?

Ian McLaren of the Score looks at three NHLers today through the magic of advanced statistics. One of them is new Canucks forward Nick Bonino, who’ll meet his old team, the Ducks, in a few days. Among the interesting stats McLaren points out: Bonino is tied for seventh among NHL forwards in “even-strength points per 60 minutes.” He also says Bonino’s higher-than-normal shooting percentage, even if it falls off, points to somewhere between 25 and 30 goals this season. Which would make the Bonino-for-Kesler trade a success.

His seemingly easy tap-in against the Habs last Thursday was as much a result of his confidence as anything else:

Inside the Pacific

Of course, it’s a bit early for NHL awards talk, but that’s not stopping the Calgary Herald’s George Johnson from doing exactly that regarding rookie Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames are off to a surprising start; Gaudreau’s been a huge reason for their success.

Canadian Content

He’s one of our national treasures, and it’s good to see that some of the most hard-hitting pieces of journalism about Sidney Crosby are still kicking around:

And Elsewhere

Patrick Johnston, my colleague who also writes the Morning Skate, couldn’t resist getting a shot in at another Province old-timer, Paul Chapman. I can tell you, Chappy in his day was a better Sunday keeper than this fellow:

The Chicago Cubs have hired Joe Maddon as their new manager. I’ve always loved his old-school look. And now he’s really going old-school, taking over a team that hasn’t won a World Series since 1908. That’s not a problem for Maddon, who somehow took the Tampa Bay Rays to the playoffs four times and says, of the Cubs, “In my mind’s eye, I am going to be talking playoffs this year.”

In Denver, meanwhile, the Post has been doling out report cards to members of the Colorado Rockies. Who gets an A? How about National League batting champion Justin Morneau of New Westminster, whose rebound from chronic concussion problems — among other injuries — really seemed to threaten to permanently derail his career. Not only did he hit .319, but his fielding percentage at first base was .997 — he may well win his first Gold Glove when they’re handed out tonight.

Finally, no one loves CFL numbers more than the Regina Leader-Post’s Rob Vanstone. Today, Vanstone writes about how the CFL will have the lowest scoring season in about 30 years — or perhaps more, if teams can’t get their acts together in this weekend’s final games. He also points out that Calgary Stampeders place-kicker Rene Paredes has connected on just 70 per cent of his field-goal attempts — a far cry from the 2013 season, when he set the league record by making 94.7 per cent of his attempts.

In related news, the Stampeders will come into B.C. Place for the regular season finale Friday without star running back Jon Cornish and receiver Maurice Price, who both suffered head injuries last weekend against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It’s not great news for the game, honestly. How will the Lions approach it? A win and they finish third in the West and get to return to Edmonton, where the Lions really screwed the pooch last weekend. Is that what they want? Or do they not try too, too hard, perhaps lose, than hope the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Eskimos the next day and vault over the Lions, moving the Lions’ postseason fate to the East semifinal? If you’re the Riders, this is a fluid situation and a very nice problem to have.

Today’s Video

It’s not often that a Canadian astronaut becomes a global megastar by recording David Bowie’s Space Oddity while floating around in space. But that’s what happened to the incredible Chris Hadfield, who really should be running for prime minister. Anyhow, issues around intellectual property meant the video was taken down from YouTube six months ago. The good news? It’s back. And it’s a wonderful piece of art.

Just who are those characters starring in the comic? Girly Bow and Ginger Wyatt? Actually, no…

You can follow j.Bowman, Chris Baxter and Wyatt Arndt on twitter (@jBowmancouver, @cbax, @TheStanchion). Alternate name for the comic was “Nat & Dale vs. Evil”, but we couldn’t get the rights to use Gary Bettman’s likeness.

That’s what a friend told me about Tuesday’s Canucks game against the Dallas Stars. Out of nowhere, a 1-0 game became a 3-0 game and, in desperation to find something more entertaining, he flipped over …

]]>It was a no-win situation.

That’s what a friend told me about Tuesday’s Canucks game against the Dallas Stars. Out of nowhere, a 1-0 game became a 3-0 game and, in desperation to find something more entertaining, he flipped over to Game 1 of the World Series. No luck. The San Francisco Giants were pounding the Kansas City Royals and my buddy suddenly felt all alone out there, with nothing to watch that would be of any interest.

And so the conversation continued, the same one that started Saturday when the Tampa Bay Lightning picked up the pace for the Canucks. Actually, that conversation had started even before Steven Stamkos did his thing: Can the Canucks compete against teams other than ones perhaps better suited for AHL action?

That’s the consternation headed into tonight, but I’ll stop for a second to gain some much-needed perspective.

After all, in St. Louis, Blues defenceman Alex Pietrangelo has worries much greater than how he’ll fare tonight against the Canucks. His five-year-old niece Ellie is battling something called Wilms’ tumor, a type of kidney cancer. Pietrangelo, one of Canada’s Olympic defencemen, has shaved his head to support Ellie. He’s not afraid to talk about it. And it puts the game in perspective, reminds us that millionaire hockey players aren’t immune from real life.

It’s hard not to think about former Canuck Peter Zezel when hearing Pietrangelo talk. Zezel, who hockey fans will recall was probably one of hockey’s best battlers along the boards, thanks to his superb soccer skills, also had an ailing niece, Jilliann. Reaching the end of his contract with the Canucks, knowing he needed to be closer to Jilliann in Ontario, Zezel asked to be traded somewhere east. Instead, he was shipped to Anaheim — the furthest he could be from family.

Zezel didn’t report to the Ducks. He never played another game in the NHL. Jilliann died; Zezel himself died a number of years later, way too young. Zezel was voted as one of our ceremonial 101st greatest Canucks in the 101 Greatest Canucks project, which gave us a chance to provide readers another chance to read one of Tony Gallagher’s best columns.

The Home Team

Right. So a better result for the Canucks — let’s call it a competitive result — seems to be a reasonable expectation for Canucks fans tonight.

No doubt there’s one Canuck who’d really like to play well tonight: Ryan Miller, who started last season with his longtime club, the Buffalo Sabres, then finished it with the Blues and four straight losses to the Chicago Blackhawks in the playoffs after beating them the first two games. Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us that Miller’s initial few weeks in St. Louis were really rather heroic.

Goalie graveyard? The season’s only a couple of weeks old, but some minds have been made up:

Ryan Miller is the 3rd-best – maybe 4th-best – goalie the Canucks have had in the last 18 months.

Rhys Jessop of Canucks Army delivers a timely post in the Army’s weekly What Would You Do feature: asks readers for their opinions on how they’d improve the Canucks’ power play. I’m one of those guys whose hopes deflate every time Kevin Bieksa steps on the ice during a power play. Bieksa seems like a great guy, a true character leader for the Canucks. But has a Bieksa point shot ever made it past the slot? The man has other excellent qualities. Point shot, not so much.

By the way, if the Blues score tonight, this is what you’ll hear. The new website wejustscored.com is a bit hit. It’s cool not just to hear the great goal horn at the Scottrade Center, but to hear what comes after: the organ playing When the Blues Go Marching In.

Hmmmm, turns out that supporters of Bengaluru FC, in India, do the same thing that St. Louis Blues fans do:

Small world.

Inside the Pacific

By the way, it’s worth mentioning that the previously laughable Oilers have won two straight, both against former Southeast Division (read: easier) teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals. Before the win over the Caps Wednesday, the Oilers blog Copper & Blue highlights an interview Sportsnet did with Alex Ovechkin, in which they asked him about advanced stats. He doesn’t know anything about them. But he does know about plus-minus. His answer: “It’s great.” Plus-minus, of course, can be an awfully leading indicator. Still, Ovechkin is well aware he was minus-35 last season. That clearly bothers him. So he probably wasn’t thrilled to be minus-1 against the Oilers.

Meanwhile, is the Calgary Flames’ Sean Monahan, who hasn’t scored in the Flames’ first eight games, battling through the traditional sophomore slump? The Calgary Sun poses that question. They do point out he’s getting chances, as evidenced by his league-leading 20-shots-without-a-goal notoriety. But he’s also winning more faceoffs than he’s losing. Sounds like he’ll be OK in the long run.

Down the coast in Anaheim, Frederik Andersen is all the rage. The first Danish-born goalie in the NHL is now 6-0, after beating the Buffalo Sabres Wednesday night, with a goals-against average of 1.32. Yeah, you read that right.

Finally, who likes to read Rolling Stone for their hockey stories. Put your hands up. Uh, no one? Well, perhaps you need to. Because RS writer Steve Lepore has weighed in on the annual eventual disaster that is the San Jose Sharks (tell that to the Canucks, who’ve done little recently to contribute to any Sharks disasters).

You know what? Let’s take another look at that unbelievable goal he scored against the Colorado Avalanche the other night:

What a horrible scene in Ottawa yesterday, from the national war memorial to the halls inside the Centre Block on Parliament Hill. In typical NHL PR fashion, Senators players were asked not to speak with the media about what had happened, or their feelings about it. But some did. Among them: New Westminster’s Kyle Turris. Our Ben Kuzma caught up with Turris, who’s made Ottawa his year-round home. It was just a few years ago that the Canucks cancelled a practice in Ottawa, on Remembrance Day, to attend the ceremonies there.

Certainly, no one would have expected Pittsburgh Penguins anthem singer Jeff Jimerson to sing O Canada last night, when the Pens were hosting their state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. But that’s what he did, and that’s what the fans at the Consol Energy Center did. It was a classy move by the Penguins organization. It’s not much more complicated than that:

Finally, back to Montreal, where the Canadiens are finally matching up to their hated rivals the Boston Bruins with a series of commercials featuring their players and fine young Montreal-raised actor Jay Baruchel (above, with Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby):

Or this one, featuring Baruchel and Carey Price:

But nothing comes close to this one, starring Baruchel as an over-enthusiastic fan of Vancouver’s own Brendan Gallagher. Kudos to Gallagher for serious acting chops, and obviously being a good sport:

Yeah! More hockey

Every couple of years, I eagerly await the unveiling of the roster for the Deutschland Cup. Yeah, the Deutschland Cup.

I must confess, I was quite upset last year when Canada didn’t participate in this four-team tournament, much less medal. So the news this week that Canada is back, and features former Canucks star Matt Pettinger (above, playing for Koln in the German League) and other Europe-based Crosbys on the squad, was almost too much excitement to bear.

Pettinger, like fellow Canucks alums Byron Ritchie and Brad Isbister before him, was able to parlay a successful NHL career into longterm employment in Germany, where he’s in his second season with the Hamburg Freezers. He’s perhaps best remembered in Vancouver for being the Victoria boy who made a triumphant homecoming in the trade that sent Matt Cooke to the Washington Capitals. (Less remembered for this line in a 2010 Ben Kuzma story: “Putting the recalled Matt Pettinger between Steve Bernier and Jannik Hansen was also fruitless.”) Pettinger played 88 more regular-season NHL games; Cooke only 455.

While some people think the Triple Gold Club — winning the Stanley Cup, Olympic gold and world championship gold — is some sort of accomplishment, Hockey Canada pointed out what might be the even rarer Triple Something Club, of which Pettinger is the only member: he played for Canada at the world junior tournament (2000, bronze), for Canada at the world championship (2006, fourth), and for Canada at the 2012 Deutschland Cup (fourth out of four teams).

Anyway, Munich’s the place. Nov. 7-9. But beware: Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland are the opponents — the exact three teams that beat Canada in the 2012 edition. Other B.C. boys involved include Zach Hamill (drafted eighth overall by Boston in 2007; now playing in Finland), former BCHL star Kyle Greentree, now playing in Germany, and former Vancouver Giants and Anaheim Ducks defenceman Brett Festerling, now a teammate of Pettinger’s in Hamburg.

And before you make fun of hockey in Germany, figure it’s at least as dynamic as hockey in Vancouver:

Note the voiceover that starts around the 1:50 mark.

It’s also hard to say how the creators of Sesame Street would feel about this more recent Hamburg Freezers video:

Retro Video of the Day

Stemming from P.K. Subban’s costume, here’s an oldie but a greatie. More than 30 years later, Michael Jackson’s Thriller still stands up, still looks dynamic, the song is sensational, and it’s perfect around Halloween:

Speaking of Halloween, here’s another retro video, of my colleague Dana Gee being forced to take a camera inside one of the Fright Nights haunted houses at the PNE. Dana really hates scary stuff, and she really didn’t enjoy being loaded into a fake coffin and having the lid closed. I can’t imagine why:

In Other Sports

Then there’s SungWoo Lee, the South Korean superfan of the Royals. How excited was he to meet Royals pitcher Danny Duffy? Just sort of:

And Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post, who does his regular Fancy Stats work, predicts who’ll make the playoffs in the NBA this season. Not only does he suggest that the Cleveland Cavaliers, backed by LeBron James, will win the East’s regular season, he says the Toronto Raptors will finish 51-31 and third in the conference.

]]>It’s customary to review video and engage in good-natured banter on game day. However, what occurred on Wednesday morning in the nation’s capital turned the Ottawa Senators dressing room in Kanata, Ont. into stunned silence.

A shooting that claimed the life of a soldier guarding the National War Memorial — and the ensuing pursuit of the assailant who was gunned down inside the Parliament Hill’s Centre Block and an on-going search for a suspected second gunman — placed Ottawa in lockdown mode. The NHL rightfully postponed Wednesday’s meeting between the Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, who were kept inside the Westin Hotel near the shooting site. Players were left to come to grips with the ugliness that enveloped a friendly city.

“It’s just very shocking and sad,” said Senators centre Kyle Turris, a New Westminster native who resides minutes away from the shooting sight. We were all in the back room in our lounge watching on TV and were just in silence and shocked by what was going on.”

The Senators’ roster includes three defencemen who hail from Ottawa in Mark Borowiecki, Cody Ceci and Marc Methot, but you don’t have to be from the city to be impacted by what occurred.

“I just couldn’t believe that something like that would happen in Ottawa,” added Turris. “This is a smaller city and gives you a safer feel. We don’t live far from downtown and we’re there quite often and we know it like the back of our hands. To see all this stuff on TV is just a big shock and it’s extremely sad — especially seeing footage of the solider who passed. We’re there all the time and we literally live seven minutes from downtown and I was just there a week ago walking around. And in the summer, we’re down there every other day.”

With more than one shooter reportedly involved in the brazen attack, there’s rampant speculation that this may be much more than just one crazed individual. It could be related to a terrorist initiative.

“I really haven’t had time to process it,” responded Turris. “You don’t want it to be something where you walk around anywhere and are second guessing yourself. It’s not a good way to live life, it’s not comfortable. Everybody has done a great job containing it and trying to find these guys and hopefully Ottawa goes back to the way it was — very inviting, tourist friendly and very accessible for everybody to see Parliament and all the amazing buildings we have down there.”

Turris and wife, Julie, welcomed their first child son, Beckett, six weeks ago and can’t imagine living in fear or straying away from the inviting downtown core.

“This has literally become home for us, we live here year round now and we love the city,” added Turris. “The market downtown right of the back of the Rideau (Canal) is such a friendly area with all the shops. It’s so much fun, a great spot.”

The Vancouver Canucks cancelled practice during a 2010 road trip stop in Ottawa so players, coaches and management could attend the national Remembrance Day ceremony which took place at the sight of Wednesday’s shooting. You wonder what it will be like next month when the annual moving ceremony is held in the same location.

“Canada is very well known for friendliness — hopefully it stays like that,” summed up Turris.

bkuzma@theprovince.com
twitter.com/@benkuzma

From November 12, 2010:

Hockey heroes pay homage to war veterans

The national Remembrance Day ceremony received an international salute from the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

Humbled by the procession of war veterans, marching bands and the solemn laying of wreaths, it was a moving experience for an NHL team that is stocked by Canadians and also by natives of Finland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the U.S. This was new to them — along with the wearing of the traditional poppy — and it placed a different perspective on a morning that would normally be reserved for a game-day skate before facing the Ottawa Senators.

“This means a lot,” said Swedish winger Mikael Samuelsson. “It doesn’t matter if you’re Canadian or wherever you’re from. It’s human beings fighting for what they think is right. You’re so worried about the power play and not scoring and you go to this [ceremony]. It’s good perspective.”

Sami Salo lost one grandfather to conflict in the First World War and another in the Second World War. He was too young growing up to understand what they endured, but a mandatory one-year stint in the Finnish army gave the Canucks defenceman needed perspective. That’s why he was excited to experience the national ceremony in Ottawa, where he previously played but never saw the event live. And going through basic training helped Salo understand what his grandfathers sacrificed.

“It was a great experience and it taught me a lot about living,” he recalled. “We had simulated war games for 14 days. You were in the woods and there was no regular food, just eating out of your backpack. I can only imagine what those guys who are in a live battle are going through.”

Christian Ehrhoff had a grandfather who served in the German air force in the Second World War. He was captured on the Russian front and the Canucks defenceman was thinking of him Thursday.

“Looking back, I would want to know more about it, but at a young age I only remembered a few things and kind of regret it,” he said. “It’s good for us to support this and show a tribute to the men who lost their lives.”

Cory Schneider is a history buff and has educated himself on the Second World War. Growing up on the eastern seaboard, the Marblehead, Mass., native was surrounded by military history there and at Boston College. He also has an uncle who served in Vietnam as a translator.

To learn that Canadians played a major role in world conflicts is comforting to Schneider. The U.S. honours its military at the same time and calls it Veterans’ Day, so Thursday was a special day for those on both sides of the border.

“I think it’s awesome,” said Schneider. “It’s great to see that Canada does similar things that we do and I found out that a lot of Canadians served and died in that war [Second World War] than I had previously thought. I didn’t hear much about it, but it’s good to know because they played such a big part in our history. It’s a big day for a lot of people.

“Boston has lot of memorials and allegedly my hometown is the birthplace of the American navy. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but we have a sign that says so. It’s a big deal.”

Alex Burrows was in the front row of an area reserved for the Canucks at the national ceremony. Like his teammates, the Canadian clapped for the procession of war veterans who provided our freedom. It wasn’t loston the winger.

“It’s nice to be part of it and honour the people who battled for us,” said Burrows. “It’s really special and we owe a lot to our military. We don’t really see it all the time, but they do a lot for us.”

Maybe Jannik Hansen put it best. “Obviously, it’s humbling knowing what these guys gave up for their country,” said the Danish winger. “It definitely puts a different perspective on things. We’re just playing a game.”

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/22/turris-stunned-shocked-at-fatal-shooting-of-soldier-in-tourist-friendly-downtown-ottawa/feed/0Turris.jpeg,2.0benkuzma1Ottawa Shooting 20141022IMG_1111.JPG.jpgCanucks Promotional Events We’d Love To Seehttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/20/canucks-promotional-events-wed-love-to-see/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/20/canucks-promotional-events-wed-love-to-see/#commentsMon, 20 Oct 2014 18:22:34 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=167446The following article was written by both j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt. The duo can be found in the pages of your Sunday Province newspaper every week… on Sunday. Obviously.

The Canucks recently had an iconic streak snapped, as the long-standing …

]]>The following article was written by both j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt. The duo can be found in the pages of your Sunday Province newspaper every week… on Sunday. Obviously.

The Canucks recently had an iconic streak snapped, as the long-standing 474 game “consecutive sellout” tally ended Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Although there may have been nights some of those seats were seemingly occupied by ghosts, the feat is still one of the most impressive things about this fickle hockey market.

(the Florida Panthers arena was built on an old Indian burial ground)

But what if the downslide continues? In order to avoid sinking to Florida Panthers levels of attendance where 400 people show up (350 comps), the Legion of Blog have come up with some promotional events to put some butts in the seats.

1. Photo with Eddie Lack night

That’s right. Every single person in attendance for this promotional event will get a photo with Eddie Lack. Even though it would take forever for 17,000 fans to have a picture taken with the loveable Canucks goalie, Eddie is such a nice guy he wouldn’t complain about it.

2. Play with the Sedins night

No disrespect to Radim Vrbata or Alex Burrows (seriously, we love them), but on this special giveaway night, one lucky fan will get the opportunity of a lifetime to play on a line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. We’re willing to bet that even the least athletic schlub in section 316 would be able to get at least 2 points playing on a line with the twins. If a beer league player or someone with any hockey ability at all got the chance, odds are that person could parlay there one night stint into a multi-million dollar contract with another team. It worked for Anson Carter, didn’t it?

3. 1994 Throwback Jersey Night

Seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t want to see a one-night return of the famous “spaghetti plate” design that the Canucks wore on their legendary Stanley Cup run? We’d turn out in droves just to see it on the current jersey as a shoulder patch, that’s how much that admittedly ugly logo means to us. As an added bonus, everyone in attendance gets a plate of spaghetti.

4. Gear Off Our Back Night

Sure, the “jerseys off our backs” night is a great promotion event, but just imaging taking it a step further and having each player give away their sweaty, game worn gear to lucky fans. The bad thing about the jersey giveaway, is that only 20 or so people get to win. This way, you might not get a game worn jersey, but odds are you are lucky enough to take home Ryan Miller’s left pad or Dan Hamhuis’ hockey pants. Our hearts go out to the “lucky” fan who leaves with Tom Sestito’s jockstrap.

5. Teddy Bear Toss

This event is a huge success for the Vancouver Giants every year during the holidays, and we’d love to see it brought in on the big stage. After the Canucks score their first goal, everyone in attendance throws stuffed animals on the ice, which get donated to a local children’s home. The delay would provide the NHL the chance to broadcast roughly 25 more commercials (20 of which feature Mark Messier) and the fans would get the rare opportunity to violently hurl soft objects at opposing players. Worried the Canucks won’t score a goal? C’mon, this isn’t 2013.

6. 10 Cent Beer Night.

This would be… a disaster. Never mind.

7. Canucks Date Night

Don’t let the name fool you, fans DO NOT get a chance to win a date with one of the players with this promotion (I feel like half the readers just stopped caring). Instead, the name of the game on Canucks Date Night is romance. A night out at a hockey game, as if that isn’t romantic enough, is cranked up to 11 as the lights are cranked down to “dim” and the video scoreboard will display a roaring fireplace. If the mood lighting isn’t enough, instead of Metallica and Pantera being played during stoppages, smooth jams by Marvin Gaye and Seal will fill the arena. If anyone on the 4th line scores, R.Kelly’s “Bump N’ Grind” will be the goal song. As an added bonus, any child conceived on Canucks Date Night gets season tickets for life. Single people are welcome, but they should know it will be the most awkward and uncomfortable game of the year. Yes, even more than Kesler’s return to Vancouver.

8. Spend a day with John Tortorella

We know, this might seem like a bad idea at first glance, but think about it: After the Canucks year with John Tortorella, it ended up with Trevor Linden returning, better food at Rogers Arena, and an exciting brand of hockey being played for the 2014-2015 season. After one day with Tortorella, we’re betting you get that job promotion you’ve always wanted, the girl/guy of your dreams, and some pointers on how to handle the traffic from Point Roberts better.

9. Punch a Messier Clown Night

It’s no secret that those Rogers Sportsnet Messier ads have been infuriating Canucks fans all over BC since the season started. You can’t go a game without his face appearing on the television telling you to watch more hockey with him. Well, holding in that much anger isn’t healthy for anybody, so the Canucks should place a bunch of those inflatable clowns that bounce back when you punch them, all over Rogers Arena hallway. The therapeutic punches to his smug face will do wonders for frustrated Canucks fans everywhere.

10. Dan Cloutier Apology Night

Dan Cloutier will sit at a desk and apologize for that Lidstrom goal. Canucks fans in turn will apologize for making all those photoshops of Cloutier being unable to stop a beach ball. Both sides come out ahead in this one.

11. Pick the Canucks numbers night

Remember when Bure randomly changed his number 10 to the number 96 and it left us all confused? Well, if that confused us, imagine what changing every single number on the Canucks roster might do to another team. Before the game starts, all fans in attendance will be able to vote on what new numbers the players will wear for that night only. The only rule is nobody can choose the number #69 because we’re better than that as fans, and nobody can choose #00 out of respect for Grizzlies legend, Benoit Benjamin.

12. Alex Edler stick night

All of Edler’s broken sticks will be given away to the lucky fans in attendance to win one. We estimate Edler will break around 100 sticks into multiple pieces, so a lot of people should win on this one.

13. Hug Trevor Linden night

Each fan in attendance gets a hug from Trevor Linden.

We’re not going to lie, this is probably the only idea on this list that would actually work.

(Pictured: The NHL’s most huggable president)

You can follow j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt on Twitter (@jbowmancouver & @TheStanchion). Their sellout streak is alive and well, just ask the fine folks at BMW.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/20/canucks-promotional-events-wed-love-to-see/feed/1canucksjbowman85(the Florida Panthers arena was built on an old Indian burial ground)(Pictured: The NHL's most huggable president)Stink N’ Rink: Advanced Statshttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/14/stink-n-rink-advanced-stats/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/14/stink-n-rink-advanced-stats/#commentsTue, 14 Oct 2014 19:58:07 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=166889It doesn’t matter how old you are, cartoons are fun. And there is one thing we like having above all else, it’s fun (which narrowly edges out ice cream sandwiches).

In wanting to do a regular Canucks related cartoon this …

]]>It doesn’t matter how old you are, cartoons are fun. And there is one thing we like having above all else, it’s fun (which narrowly edges out ice cream sandwiches).

In wanting to do a regular Canucks related cartoon this season, we were hampered by the fact that neither of us draw very well (Wyatt’s stick cartoons notwithstanding). So in order to get this off the ground, we needed a cartoonist.

The Legion of Blog cartoonist search started and ended with one guy: Chris Baxter. Seeing as how there is never a shortage of comedic fodder relating to the Canucks, the LOB and CBax are proud to launch their new project for the 2014-15 season…

“Stick N’ Rink”.

The comic will be posted every MONDAY on the Legion of Blog site throughout the season, so hopefully you enjoy.

You can follow j.Bowman, Chris Baxter and Wyatt Arndt on twitter (@jBowmancouver, @cbax, @TheStanchion). There are currently no plans for a “Stick N’ Rink” Saturday morning cartoon.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/14/stink-n-rink-advanced-stats/feed/0ComicLogojbowman85Cbax comicThe offseason journal of a Canucks fanhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/08/the-offseason-journal-of-a-canucks-fan/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/08/the-offseason-journal-of-a-canucks-fan/#commentsWed, 08 Oct 2014 18:24:48 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=166175The following article was written by both j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt. The duo can be found in the pages of your Sunday Province newspaper every week… on Sunday. Obviously.

April 8th, 2014 – Mike Gillis fired

Dear Journal,

Mike Gillis …

]]>The following article was written by both j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt. The duo can be found in the pages of your Sunday Province newspaper every week… on Sunday. Obviously.

April 8th, 2014 – Mike Gillis fired

Dear Journal,

Mike Gillis was officially fired as President & GM of the Vancouver Canucks today. I might not write in you for a while, as I will be outside doing cartwheels for the foreseeable future.

April 9th, 2014 – Trevor Linden hired as Canucks President

Dear Journal,

Trevor Linden was named Canucks President/Czar/Ultimate Overlord today… I don’t think I have any cartwheels left in me, but I will try. Because Trevor Linden would try. He’d cartwheel on crutches, damn it! I feel like as soon as I go outside there will be a quintuple rainbow. Best day ever!

May 1st, 2014 – John Tortorella Fired

Dear Journal,

I know a lot of people are happy John was fired, but I’m pretty disappointed about the whole thing. He was a champion of the lazy worker, living the life that only few men dared to dream. He showed up so rarely for his job that his bosses installed a bed for him to sleep in, as a way to encourage him to come to work more often. He got his assistant coaches to coach 15% of the games while he ate popcorn in press row. He didn’t talk to some of his players for half the year. He made me believe that I, too, might one day be overpaid and under worked. I’ll miss you Torts.

May 21st, 2014 – Jim Benning hired

Dear Journal,

Jim Benning was hired today as the new GM of the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have apparently wanted him for a while, so it’s nice to see them “get their man”. A lot of talk has been made about copying “the Boston Model”. I wonder if that entails getting back Matt Cooke to be our Brad Marchand? Either way, it’s nice to have a GM who won’t make it rain No Trade Clauses and who could actually manage having more than one good goalie. At least Gillis still has his magic beans to comfort him.

June 23rd, 2014 – Willie Desjardins hired as head coach

Dear Journal,

The Canucks hired a new coach today. Hopefully he believes in practicing more than the last guy. I’ll even be okay with it if he’s a boring post-game interview, just as long as he, you know, makes an effort. Oh, and doesn’t try to fight opposing coaches in the hallway.

June 27th, 2014 – Ryan Kesler traded to Anaheim

Is it considered a trade if you demand a trade to one of two teams? It feels more like a signing… Still, it was good to see the whole Ryan Kesler fiasco taken care of relatively quickly. I will miss his surly post game interviews and his over the top goal celebrations. I do feel like a bit of a fool for investing so heavily into the RK17 clothing line, though. Oh well, luckily I have bought into a new line of clothing, the Jacob Markstrom JM35 line of clothing, which should be safe as that guy is set to be the Canucks backup next season.

June 27th, 2014 – Jake Virtanen drafted

Dear Journal,

We finally drafted a kid from BC in the first round. While I know that doesn’t translate to success, it’s still neat to see someone who grew up here get a chance to shine on the Canucks, especially somehow who kind of looks like Joffrey from Game of Thrones. Hopefully with less murder than Joffrey, though.

June 28th, 2014 – Another goalie?!

Dear Journal,

the Canucks just drafted probably the best name in the entire draft class, Thatcher Demko. Wow. I’m certain they drafted him on name alone, because he is a goalie and we don’t need anymore of those for a while. I assume the Canucks just saw that name is just couldn’t avoid saying it at the podium. Still, it’s nice to know that even if the guy is a stud, our new GM will get fair market value for him (plus a little more because his name is Thatcher freaking Demko). Seriously, that name sounds like a Bond villain. I hope he manages to convince the league to let him put his entire name on the back of his jersey. I also hope he’s a good goalie, but wow, what a name.

June 28th, 2014 – Nikita Tryamkin drafted

Dear Journal,

HOLY CRAP look at the size of the Russian guy the team just drafted! Finally, we’ll have our own Zdeno Chara (those years with Marek Malik aka “budget Chara” don’t count). I’ve never seen this player train or do anything, but all I can think of in my head is Ivan Drago’s training routine from “Rocky IV”.

July 1st, 2014 – Ryan Miller is signed to a 3 year deal

Dear Journal,

I fear I have made yet another clothing line mistake in my JM35 investment…

Sept. 23rd, 2014 – Preseason Game 1 goes halfsies

Dear Journal,

Hockey is finally back(ish) after the two games tonight. It was weird that half the team played in Vancouver, and the other half played in California. Only one of the “split-squads” won, so in my opinion, they should be the ones that make the team this year. This city needs to create a winning culture.

Sept. 26th, 2014 – Markstrom on Waivers

Dear Journal,

it is confirmed, my Jacob Markstrom JM35 clothing line company is officially out of business. Luckily I have invested in a new clothing line, the Tom Sestito TS29 clothing line company. This guy is a cornerstone of the team and…. ah crap.

Sept. 27th, 2014 – Hunter Shinkaruk crosses the street

Dear Journal,

I saw Hunter Shinkaruk downtown in the city today. It was easy to recognize him, thus proving he is ready to make this team. He was wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, which made me unsure of his allegiance. Vancouver players shouldn’t wear Boston anything! I didn’t speak to him, but I walked behind him as he crossed the street and I can honestly say, by the way he did that he is “the future”. The vision and speed he displayed as he navigated through the oncoming crowd was incredible. Stupid hat though. I later saw Bo Horvat cross the street… he didn’t zig-zag or do anything flashy, but he did make it to the other side. Both kids get results.

Oct. 4th, 2014 – Preseason finale

Dear Journal,

the Canucks finished up their preseason tonight with a win over Edmonton (shocking, right?). That means in the seven preseason games, Vancouver finished with a record of 5-2. Clearly this means Vancouver is going to dominate this season, so I’m already thinking of parade routes and tattoos I should get to commemorate our forthcoming Stanley Cup victory. It will be cheaper if I get it done tomorrow, so I will probably do that.

Oct. 5th, 2014.

Dear Journal,

I’ve made a huge mistake. Unless they win the cup this year. Oh god please let them win the cup this year. Or next year. Turning a ’15 into a ’16 won’t be that hard.

You can follow j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt on Twitter (@jbowmancouver & @TheStanchion). This journal in no way represents the thoughts and feelings of other Canucks fans… although it probably does.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/08/the-offseason-journal-of-a-canucks-fan/feed/0Ryan Millerjbowman85(At least we'd spell check it. Marchand is forever marked as an idiot)6 things we learned about the Canucks during preseasonhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/08/6-things-we-learned-about-the-canucks-during-preseason/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/08/6-things-we-learned-about-the-canucks-during-preseason/#commentsWed, 08 Oct 2014 15:10:24 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=166177The following article was written by both j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt. The duo can be found in the pages of your Sunday Province newspaper every week… on Sunday. Obviously.

Last year firmly cemented Edler’s spot as the number one whipping boy for the Canucks, but if the pre-season has shown us anything, it’s that Sbisa might be taking a run at that title this season. Sbisa’s pre-season play with the Canucks certainly showcased his physical side, but it also showcased many a mistake in his own zone. Whether it was scrambling to get back into position or sometimes just giving the puck directly to Yakupov in the slot (which, while polite, is usually frowned upon), Sbisa keeps fans of both teams on their toes.

Add in the fact he was part of the Ryan Kesler trade, which many Vancouver fans are still undecided about, and it adds up to the perfect recipe for fan anger and derision.

2) It will take some time getting used to the new #17

Don’t get us wrong, we aren’t doing the typical “attack a player once he leaves town routine”, but Radim Vrbata sure has been fun to watch this pre-season, almost because he does things so different from the old #17. Yes, Kesler can bring a level of defense that Vrbata won’t be able to match, but it’s been to watch Vrbata, well, pass the puck. Kesler’s one man show was great when it worked, but the 85% of the time he’d fly in over the blue line and fire a laser into the shins of the opponent, it made us get a bit sad.

Vrbata is clicking with the Twins, passing the puck, shooting the puck, and not involved in rumors of demanding a trade at a bar in Russia. Sometimes it’s the little things that make us happy.

3) Eddie Lack isn’t going to make this easy on Ryan Miller

Everybody loves the backup, and Eddie Lack, one of the most well liked guys on the team, looks to keep up that tradition this year. Whether it’s due to the fact fans grew attached to the guy who somehow emerged from the tire fire that was the Canucks handling of the goalies in the last three years, or simply because Eddie looks like he’s never had a bad day in his life, Eddie Lack has a lot of fans. Add in the fact Eddie has played impeccably this pre-season, and it makes us wonder how many bad games from Ryan Miller it will take before the “Eddie” chants ring out in Rogers Arena.

We’re not suggesting Ryan Miller has had a rough history of post-game scrums, but if he looked unhappy working the media in Buffalo, it will be interesting to see what happens if “Eddie-mania” breaks out this season.

4) We really miss feeding off the Northwest Division

The Canucks finished off the preseason with an impressive record of 5-2, and they looked good doing it. The play was up-tempo, the power play had some juice and for the first time in a long time, it felt like we were watching exciting hockey again. Of course, levelling our high hopes is the fact that most of the games were against the lowly Oilers and Flames, who we’ll only get to play a handful of times this season. Still, after what we’ve seen over the last two weeks, we are confident the Canucks will finish at least 8-74. Although that record would scare a lot of people, the inside track on Connor McDavid would soothe them. That is, of course if the Oilers and Flames win more than 8 games… which we can never be sure of.
5) Nick Bonino is no Ryan Kesler, and we’re okay with that.

Nick Bonino and Ryan Kesler are linked and will be forever, thanks to the trade that send the scowling former Selke winner to Anaheim/Disneyland (it’s the same thing, let’s be real about it). While Nick Bonino didn’t exactly display the rugged skills during the preseason we’re used to seeing from Kesler, in the long run that will probably work out better for the Canucks. Bonino is younger, healthier and ready to hit as stride as the guy who left is on the down slope of his career. A lot of people felt the Canucks were fleeced in the deal, but with two goals and two assists in the preseason and coming off career high point totals, we’re excited to have him. He seemingly fits in a system, rather than wanting to be a one man wolf pack. The only thing Kesler might have the edge on is his body, but we’ll hold our judgement on that until Nick Bonino’s “ESPN Body Issue” cover comes out. Who knows, maybe he has 12 pack abs or something.
6) “Shinkaruk Time” will be an exciting time…whenever that is.

For the second preseason in a row, Hunter Shinkaruk looked almost NHL ready. The highly skilled youngster is poised to be one of the most entertaining Canucks players in years, and although he’s been re-assigned to Utica, inspiring hope in this fan base is no small feat. We’re still giddy over his preseason goals last year. Remember that top corner laser? Of course you do! We’d take that goal out for a nice seafood dinner if we could.

The youth movement has a few figureheads but Shinkaruk stands out the most. We like Bo Horvat, but he doesn’t seem to have the highlight reel appeal that Shinkaruk does, so we believe Shinkamania (and Eddiemania) will run this city one day. The mere fact that we still “believe” in anything after last season is something to be excited about. We wouldn’t put the “mania” suffix on just anything. Good season or bad season, hopes are high once again in Vancouver.

Well maybe “high” is too generous.

Hope exists.

You can follow j.Bowman and Wyatt Arndt on Twitter (@jbowmancouver & @TheStanchion). They learned a seventh thing, but prefer the number 6.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/08/6-things-we-learned-about-the-canucks-during-preseason/feed/0NucksPreseasonjbowman85With humour, hot pre-season start, Lack in mid-season form for formidable Oilers testhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/01/with-humour-hot-pre-season-start-lack-in-mid-season-form-for-formidable-oilers-test/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/01/with-humour-hot-pre-season-start-lack-in-mid-season-form-for-formidable-oilers-test/#commentsWed, 01 Oct 2014 22:43:47 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=165401At his playful best, Eddie Lack offered this cheeky response Wednesday when asked if he knew how the rest of the NHL pre-season was going to play out for him.

“Yes,” smiled the Vancouver Canucks goaltender.

Of course this occurred …

]]>At his playful best, Eddie Lack offered this cheeky response Wednesday when asked if he knew how the rest of the NHL pre-season was going to play out for him.

“Yes,” smiled the Vancouver Canucks goaltender.

Of course this occurred just as Ryan Miller entered the lockerroom area and saw that a media scrum had surrounded his crease competition. The starter momentarily retreated to the players’ lounge and Lack held court after confirming that he will get the net on Thursday in Edmonton, which means Miller will work the pre-season finale here on Saturday against the Oilers.

Lack is looking anything but like a backup. He made 20 saves in 29:27 of work in Calgary last Thursday before giving way to Joacim Eriksson and is a perfect 36-for-36 in the saves department in two outings. And although he has some positioning angles to iron out before the regular season, he looks in mid-season form. He sounded like it, too.

“It’s tough to say because it’s just the pre-season, but my game still has a little bit to work on and I’m ready to go again,” he said. “Obviously, they (Oilers) have good forwards and it will be a big defensive challenge for us and it’s a perfect game of us before the season starts. A lot of my game is moving the puck quickly for my D-men and letting them know what’s going on and it all starts with me. That was a bit of a problem last year but it’s been good so far.”

And when the season starts, the crease will be afforded more attention as Lack forms a competitive and personal bond with Miller after working so well last season with Roberto Luongo.

“I obviously had a very good relationship with Lui, too, and really felt like we’ve got off to a good start here and just keep building on it,” said Lack. “It’s going to be a fun year and we’re going to push each other. We’re going to go out for dinner soon and get to know each other. I’m sure I’m buying.”

And if that isn’t enough, having Jacob Markstrom, Joe Cannata and Eriksson forming a crowded crease with the Utica Comets, there’s going to be speculation about how all this goaltending depth is going to actually play out this season.

Stay tuned.

OF NOTE — The top line of Henrik and Daniel Sedin along with Radim Vrbata will sit out Thursday. Look for Linden Vey to get a look on wing and Shawn Matthias a look at centre.

bkuzma@theprovince.com
twitter.com/@benkuzma

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/10/01/with-humour-hot-pre-season-start-lack-in-mid-season-form-for-formidable-oilers-test/feed/0Lack.3.0.jpegbenkuzma1Mark Messier: Never a Canuck (with video)http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/09/18/mark-messier-one-of-the-101-greatest-canucks-ever-no-way-with-video/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/09/18/mark-messier-one-of-the-101-greatest-canucks-ever-no-way-with-video/#commentsThu, 18 Sep 2014 16:30:38 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=163888I don’t exactly know what a “craw” is, but I sure know when something’s been stuck in it.

]]>I don’t exactly know what a “craw” is, but I sure know when something’s been stuck in it.

Last Sunday marked the first entry in the incredibly ambitious Province mega-project: “The 101 Greatest Canucks of All Time”. To say there were a few surprises on the list is an understatement. Trent Klatt at No.87? Chris Higgins at No.90? His core strength alone should have rocketed him up to the top 60 at least.

Let’s not forget Brent Sopel coming in at No.99 and always looking like he needs a shower.

But none of those selections were of the “craw-sticking” variety. Except for No. 93…

(I thought I’d give a little added space to prepare you for it)

(You’re welcome)

(Here he is, having JUST ripped the “C” from Trevor Linden)

WHAT IS MARK MESSIER DOING ON A LIST OF THE GREATEST CANUCKS OF ALL TIME?!

Not only did “hockey’s greatest leader” lead the Canucks to the worst seasons in decades, but dare I mention what he did to the Vancouver Canucks, their fans, and the hopes and dreams of good people everywhere in 1994?

If you thought the film “Leprechaun 2″ was the worst thing to happen in 1994, you would be wrong.

(What happened to you, Willow? You used to be cool)

He was a “Canuck Killer” of the highest magnitude, not an all-time great. Not only did he beat the Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals, but he decided to crumble the team from within with that jerk-ass coach of his. This came at the cost of running “El Presidente” Trevor Linden out of town (also known as the time I briefly cheered for the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals).

(Teaching a generation what 16 x 2 is)

To further fan the flames of hatred, Messier was awarded $6 million in arbitration after suing the Canucks a few years ago, claiming that they owed him money because the franchise grew during his time here.

I shouldn’t have to remind you, those were horrible, horrible years. But with an extra $6 mil in “GTFO” money, Messier should be out of the Canucks’ hair forever.

Then his name popped up on this comprehensive list. Myself and Wyatt Arndt helped put the list together, but trust me when I tell you Mark Messier was about as close to cracking our Top 101 Canucks of All Time as Patrick Roy and Derek Jeter were.

However, as a (barely) professional writer, if I’m tasked with writing about something, I give it everything I’ve got. So when “The Brass” asked me to write an article explaining why Mark Messier belongs on the list, well…

I suppose things could have been worse. Messier could have been No.94 on the list.

But then I would have been in the paper.

(It would have to be a pretty slow news day)

You can follow j.Bow on Twitter (@jBowmancouver). If Mike Keenan makes the list of Greatest Canucks ever, I’ll quit for real.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/09/18/mark-messier-one-of-the-101-greatest-canucks-ever-no-way-with-video/feed/3Mark Messier #11jbowman85Sopel(Here he is, having JUST ripped the "C" from Trevor Linden)(If you thought "Leprechaun 2" was the worst thing to happen in 1994, you'd be wrong)(Linden teaches a generation what 16 x 2 is)(It would have to be a pretty slow news day)Editorial: NHL needs fewer, not more, teamshttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/08/27/editorial-nhl-needs-fewer-not-more-teams/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/08/27/editorial-nhl-needs-fewer-not-more-teams/#commentsWed, 27 Aug 2014 23:07:04 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=161474After years of speculation, it now appears all but certain that the National Hockey League will announce shortly that it is expanding the number of teams in the league. As our esteemed hockey writer Tony Gallagher wrote Wednesday, the cities …]]>After years of speculation, it now appears all but certain that the National Hockey League will announce shortly that it is expanding the number of teams in the league. As our esteemed hockey writer Tony Gallagher wrote Wednesday, the cities being considered for franchises include Las Vegas, Seattle, Kansas City and Quebec City.

What is not yet known is whether the NHL, which last expanded 15 years ago, will add two teams to balance the league (there are now 16 teams in the East and 14 in the West) or by four. That will depend on the motivations of the owners of the existing teams, who will receive large payments from the franchise fees the new teams will pay to join the league.

The NHL will try to sell the deals whenever it eventually announces the new teams as great for the game and for hockey fans in the new cities, all the while knowing that those teams will be weak and fans will be watching a lousy product. But it’s also bad news for fans of existing teams, who will also get worse hockey as their teams lose talent to an expansion draft. If the NHL wants to balance the league, it should dump two money-losing teams (Florida? Islanders?) and improve the product on the ice.

Don’t kid yourself, expansion isn’t in the interest of fans; it’s only about making billionaire team owners ever richer.

Editorials are unsigned opinion pieces that represent the views of The Province editorial board, a group of senior editors.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/08/27/editorial-nhl-needs-fewer-not-more-teams/feed/1editorialpagesBudding power forward Virtanen will get over shoulder surgery, help change Canucks’ culturehttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/06/27/budding-power-forward-virtanen-will-get-over-shoulder-surgery-help-change-canucks-culture/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/06/27/budding-power-forward-virtanen-will-get-over-shoulder-surgery-help-change-canucks-culture/#commentsSat, 28 Jun 2014 00:19:02 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=157213Jake Virtanen called it a huge honour. Jim Benning called it huge step in the right direction.

“He brings meanness and ruggedness and we’re trying to change the culture and he’s a piece of the puzzle,” the Vancouver Canucks general …

]]>Jake Virtanen called it a huge honour. Jim Benning called it huge step in the right direction.

“He brings meanness and ruggedness and we’re trying to change the culture and he’s a piece of the puzzle,” the Vancouver Canucks general manager said Friday after selecting the Abbotsford native sixth overall in the NHL draft.

Virtanen had 45 goals with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL this past season and shoulder surgery, but that isn’t expect to curtail the career of the budding 6-foot, 208 pound winger. He has been on the Canucks’ draft radar for some time because he was ranked as the top North American prospect in terms of physical play and second in skating. He was right behind that ranking in skill, so you can understand why a club that has been criticized for not drafting WHL prospects out of their own province, leaned toward Virtanen for all the right reasons. If the birth certificate helps for branding and to help sell tickets, so be it. Good seats are still available. So are season tickets.

“It’s an amazing honour,” said Virtanen, a big Canucks fan. “To be a complete play is my goal and there are things for me to improve on.”

Virtanen had a sublexed shoulder during the season and suffered the same ailment at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. He had surgery a month ago and told The Province that doctors said the progression of flexibility and strength will only get better over time. Virtanen impressed at the draft combine and in follow-up interviews with the Canucks and whispers they were leaning that way only got louder as this week progressed.

bkuzma@theprovince.com
twitter.com/benkuzma

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/06/27/budding-power-forward-virtanen-will-get-over-shoulder-surgery-help-change-canucks-culture/feed/3Lethbridge Hurricanes v Calgary Hitmenbenkuzma1Boston Bruins’ Milan Lucic released anti-bullying book in Marchhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/05/16/boston-bruins-milan-lucic-released-anti-bullying-book-in-march/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/05/16/boston-bruins-milan-lucic-released-anti-bullying-book-in-march/#commentsFri, 16 May 2014 23:01:56 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=152864Boston Bruins winger Milan Lucic, who allegedly threatened to kill the Montreal Canadiens Dale Weise during the handshake line following the Habs’ win in their thrilling 7-game series, is the author of an anti-bullying children’s book published two months ago …]]>Boston Bruins winger Milan Lucic, who allegedly threatened to kill the Montreal Canadiens Dale Weise during the handshake line following the Habs’ win in their thrilling 7-game series, is the author of an anti-bullying children’s book published two months ago titled “Not Cool To Bully In School”.

Who wrote the foreword – Vladimir Putin?

It’s unclear how the book is selling: a search for “Milan Lucic” in Amazon Books brings up the “Encyclopedia of Sports Idiocy”, a March 2013 title by William Russo.

No Oprah sticker for Lucic yet, but I hear it’s a Duck Dynasty Book Club pick-of-the-month.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/05/16/boston-bruins-milan-lucic-released-anti-bullying-book-in-march/feed/0rolfsenToronto Mayor Rob Ford ducks Iron Sheik in sandwich shop snubhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/04/26/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-ducks-iron-sheik-in-sandwich-shop-snub/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/04/26/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-ducks-iron-sheik-in-sandwich-shop-snub/#commentsSat, 26 Apr 2014 22:10:58 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=151007In what may be a first, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford turned down an invite to an area fast food restaurant Saturday afternoon, passing on meeting wrestling legend The Iron Sheik, who was in town to help promote his movie, “The …]]>In what may be a first, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford turned down an invite to an area fast food restaurant Saturday afternoon, passing on meeting wrestling legend The Iron Sheik, who was in town to help promote his movie, “The Shiek”, which makes its world premiere tonight at the Hot Docs film festival.

Instead, mayoral-race rival Olivia Chow showed up at Belly Buster Subs for food and photos with the 72-year-old former bodyguard for the Shah of Iran.

It was unclear why Ford was a no-show; it’s possible the mayor – who considers himself a champion of the people – didn’t want to be seen at a function perceived as too highbrow for his electorate.

What does a $5,000 fine mean to Lucic? He makes much more than that for playing one game.

I was also very disturbed at the hit by Brent Seabrook on the St. Louis Blues’ Dave Bachus.

These types of hits by someone like Seabrook, he should be suspended a minimum of one playoff series and/or as long as the injured player is unable to play.

My feeling is that some of these guys will do what it takes to get a good opponent out of the game.

There are just no sufficient consequences for this type of goonery!

Larry White, New Westminster

Not hockey

The NHL lost me as a fan the year the Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks.

In that series, hockey wasn’t played. It was won by thuggery.

William Dyck, Delta

Education funds are wasted

This annual outcry over investment in education can certainly be justified given the enormous benefit derived from excellent sports and music programs.

However, would it also be possible to witness some outrage over the amount of money still wasted on stifling bureaucracy, poor management and labour disputes?

Investment means little if the latter soaks up all of our tax dollars.

John Clench, Vancouver

Point Grey bike route is a failure

When the rain held off on the Easter weekend, I headed out on my bike to Jericho along the new Point Grey Road cycle route west of MacDonald. I was the only cyclist. Ironically, three private signs warned the absent bikers to slow down.

For comparison, I returned by the original Third Avenue bike route, which has lovely cherry blossoms, character homes and lush trees and gardens. Third Avenue was welcoming and links easily to York Avenue with no new engineering. Despite millions of city tax dollars spent otherwise, my preferred bike route will continue to be Third Avenue unless the city spends more millions to landscape Point Grey Road to provide a green appearance on that duplicate and redundant cycle route.

Closing Point Grey was never about bike lanes. The road is now like a large, dead-quiet 1960s suburban cul-de-sac. Around and near MacDonald Street, relentless construction from early September continues.

Cars line up and idle right in front of MacDonald homes at all hours when the light changes. Noise and pollution impacts Fourth Avenue residents. These areas already had more traffic than Point Grey Road and traffic will further increase when the bridge work is done and with huge developments at UBC.

What is it all about? I know some wanted to forestall a seawall. Was it hidden agendas like this? Was this a perverse way to promote mass transit funding by increasing congestion? Was it the self-righteousness and persuasiveness of an elite few on Point Grey? Was it staff incompetence?

We now have neighbours pitted against each other and the entire city is paying. I’m embarrassed by the misinformed and cavalier approach of our city hall.

Tomina de Jong, Vancouver

Air Canada should respect passengers

As a frequent Air Canada passenger, I trust the airline treats my belongings with a certain level of respect and responsibility. It disappoints me to see the lack of effort and responsibility some employees have when handling tasks appointed to them for the satisfaction of customers, as in the recent video made public of luggage being thrown around.

It may be possible that only a few gentlemen act lazily on the job or it may, unfortunately, indicate that most employees have become lazy style in how they do their work.

Air Canada needs to take action in ensuring the satisfaction of its customers and in treating their belongings with care and respect.

Fahd Peerzada, Vancouver

Fix what you can

I graduated from UBC’s science program 30 years ago and after that it was a career in the software industry combined with 19 years in a bad marriage and wild financial swings. But none of that was as stressful as the following two-year divorce, so I consider myself a bit of an expert on stress.

Stress is caused by worrying about something that you have no control over. If you have no control over your situation, then just get some sleep and wait for the outcome or get out and enjoy life.

But if there is something you can do about it, then stop whining and get off your butt and do it!

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/04/23/letters-nhl-hockey-fines-schools-point-grey-bike-route-air-canada-stress-dental-care/feed/0editorialpagesThe last time the Canucks missed the playoffs…http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/04/16/the-last-time-the-canucks-missed-the-playoffs/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/04/16/the-last-time-the-canucks-missed-the-playoffs/#commentsWed, 16 Apr 2014 22:35:41 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=149291Last year, in honour of the Toronto Maple Leafs making the playoffs for the first time in forever, I took a look back at what the world was like the last time they played postseason hockey. There were some …]]>Last year, in honour of the Toronto Maple Leafs making the playoffs for the first time in forever, I took a look back at what the world was like the last time they played postseason hockey. There were some shocking facts, among them the fact that Facebook was only a few months old.

(Bold words, 2004 social networking power)

With the NHL playoffs starting today and the Vancouver Canucks missing them for the first time since 2008, I decided to do mild research and find out what the world was like way back when. Although the Canucks’ playoff streak is nothing compared to the Detroit Red Wings, the fact that a few scant years ago they were making it rain Presidents Trophy’s makes the news of their freefall pretty jarring.

I am an equal opportunity flashbacker, so here is what was going on in the world the last time the Vancouver Canucks caused fans to use their white playoff towels to dry their eyes.

In the NHL:

– The Atlanta Thrashers were still a hockey team, and they hosted the All-Star game.

– The L.A. Kings were the worst team in the league.

– The Minnesota Wild were the Northwest Division champions.

– Dominik Hasek was still an active NHL players, as were Joe Sakic, Derian Hatcher and Jeremy Roenick.

– Jaromir Jagr left the New York Rangers and decided to play out his career in Europe. Some of us believed it was the end of NHL Jagr. We were foolish.

(Jagr in 2014, pictured with a guy who was still the best goalie of all time back in 2008)

In Sports:

– Lebron James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

– Brett Favre had just retired from the NFL as a member of the Green Bay Packers. This was before his tenure as a New York Jet at a Minnesota Viking.

– Michael Phelps only had 6 of his 18 Olympic gold medals (yeah, only 6)

– A few months earlier, the Detroit Lions went 0-16, becoming the first NFL team to go winless since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

– Plaxico Burress was regarded as a Super Bowl hero for the New York Giants, and was several months away from shooting himself in the thigh in a nightclub, going to jail for it and making it uncool AND dangerous to wear sweatpants in the club.

– Tiger Woods still had a healthy marriage (well, maybe he didn’t at this point, but we all thought he did).

– Brett Favre had just retired from the NFL as a member of the Green Bay Packers. This was before his tenure as a New York Jet and a Minnesota Viking.

(Once iconic, now super weird looking. He played for the Vikings, man!)

In Film & Television:

– There had only been three “Indiana Jones” movies… and people didn’t need to skeptically ask “Wait, which one?” when asked if they wanted to watch an Indiana Jones movie.

– Christian Bale had only played Batman in one released film.

– The “Marvel Cinematic Universe” hadn’t launched yet. The release of “Iron Man” was still a month away.

– Blu-ray was still competing with HD DVD.

– We were still months away from meeting that delightful little robot WALL-E (and seeing how terrible life gets for humanity way into the future).

– Miley Cyrus was in her second season of Hanna Montana, instead of doing whatever she’s doing now.

– FX’s phenomenal cop action-drama “The Shield” was months away from airing its final season which included the infamous “Family Meeting”.

– “Breaking Bad” had just finished airing its first season on AMC.

(“Don’t you hate pants?!” – Walter White)

In Popular Culture:

– “Rickrolling” was just becoming an internet phenomenon. To find out when it officially started and the day it officially ended, click here.

– Comedian George Carlin was still alive. So were Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes and Paul Newman.

– “Grand Theft Auto IV” hadn’t been released yet.

– There had never been a U.S. President of colour.

– The launch of the Apple iPhone 3G was still two months away.

– Twitter was two years old, and there were an estimated 100 million tweets per quarter at this time. Today, there are over 400 million tweets a day. If I ever get a short-range time machine, buying stock in Twitter will be high on my list. As will warning people about Justin Bieber. No one will listen.

(Nobody knew who he was back in ’08. It was a simpler time)

In Trevor Linden news:

– Trevor Linden was still an active NHL player for the Canucks.

(Chin up, TL. I see several fitness centers, clear contacts and Presidencies in your future)

With him being appointed as Team President last week, that just goes to show you that if the Canucks ever miss the playoffs, expect some impactful Trevor Linden news shortly after.

You can follow j.Bow on Twitter (@jBowmancouver). He looks forward to his next article in this series, coming next year, “The Last Time Vancouver Won The Stanley Cup” detailing what life was like in 1915.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/04/16/the-last-time-the-canucks-missed-the-playoffs/feed/1Lindenjbowman85(Bold words, former social networking power)(Jagr in 2014, pictured with a guy who was still the best goalie of all time in 2008)(Once iconic, now super weird looking. He played for the Vikings, man!)Breaking-Bad(Nobody knew who he was back in '08. It was a simpler time)(Chin up, TL. I see several fitness centers, clear contacts and Presidencies in your future)